OCR Text |
Show FEEDING CATTLE IS GOOD PLAN FOR MARKETING VARIOUS CROPS (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Although corn belt cattle feeders have lost money the last two years, yet on the average for five years or more the Industry has been profitable on many farms and is a line of production pro-duction which will continue to be an Important branch of American agriculture. agri-culture. The bureau of animal Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, has recently Issued Farmer's Bulletin No. 1218, "Beef Production In the Corn Belt," which contains valuable valu-able suggestions to the corn belt feeders feed-ers on the economical production of beef. The Investigations on which the bulletin bul-letin Is based were conducted by the department on 000 farms of the corn belt and every phase of the problem, from raising calves or buying feeders to the marketing of the finished steer, Is treated In considerable detail. The general tendency In the corn belt to plow up permanent pastures and produce more cultivated crops caused a decline In beef raising, but the keeping of cows to raise calves has continued to be profitable on land too rough, too wet, or too Infertile In-fertile for cultivation. The reduction of pasture has been compensated for for higher prices. The older the animal ani-mal the quicker it will fatten, as It will use less feed for growth and more for fat production. Mature feeders fatten in three to four months, two-year-olds In 5 to 7 months, yearlings In eight to ten months, and calves In ten to twelve months. Older cattle use roughages more advantageously, but in general young animals make more economical use of all feeds. Mature cattle require re-quire from nine to eleven pounds of digestible nutrients to make a pound of gain, whereas yearlings use six to eight pounds, and calves only four to six pounds. Feeding cattle for the market Is simply one method of marketing the crops. On 287 fnrms in the corn belt an average of 35 per cent of the 1910 crops was fed to cattle. Fully 90 per cent of the fattened cattle In this area are dry-lot fed and are marketed before July 1. The various methods of feeding and the feeds used are fully discussed In the bulletin. Feed Alfalfa and Clover Hay. Alfalfa and clover hay are by far the most popular dry roughages, as they take the place of commercial protein concentrates to a large extent. Grass hays, with the exception of timothy mixed with clover, are very little r - soJ'ty' vrri iJzilsn - |