MASSACHUSETTS STATE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY STATION. BULLETIN NO. 44. OCTOBER, 1892. 1. CONTENTS. METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, 1892. 2. FEEDING EXPERIMENTS WITH STEERS. Meteorological Summary for August and September. The mean temperature for the month of August ('92), viz., 67.78°, was 0.56° lower than that of August ('91), while the absolute maximum temperature, viz., 90°, was exactly the same, as recorded at this station. The month was characterized by excessive rain falls, usually accompanied with heavy thunder, and brilliant displays of lightning. The precipitation was much above the normal, being 2.03 inches more than that of last year. The mean temperature for the month of September ('92), viz., 59.3°, was 5.27° lower than for September ('91), while the absolute maximum temperature was 10° lower, than that for last year. The month was unusually fair and pleasant, being free from severe storms. The total precipitation was 1.45 inches less than for September ('91). There was no frost until the morning of the 30th. The weather was very favorable for the ripening and harvesting of crops. FEEDING EXPERIMENTS WITH STEERS. The feeding experiment briefly described within a few subsequent pages may be considered a continuation of a preceding one, reported in full in our ninth annual report, 1891-92, pages 107 to 127. They were planned chiefly for the purpose of ascertaining the cost of the feed for the production of beef for the meat market in case of growing steers under existing local market conditions of the supply of coarse and fine feed stuffs and of cost of beef. During our first experiment in the stated direction, four young steers; grade Shorthorn, two one-year-old and two two-years-old, served for our observation. They were selected at different stages of growth for the special purpose of observing and comparing the feeding effect of one and the same suitable daily diet on the rate of increase in live weights and on the cost of the feed consumed per pound of live weight produced, under specified conditions. The coarse fodder articles used on that occasion were home raised, and consisted, from the beginning to the end of the trial, of either dry fodder corn, or corn ensilage, or corn stover,-all obtained from the same variety of field corn-Pride of the North. The corn used for the production of dry fodder corn and of corn ensilage was in both cases of a corresponding stage of growth-kernels glazing. The corn stover was obtained from the fully matured crop. The fine or grain feed used in that connection in the preparation of the daily fodder rations consisted, as a rule, of equal weights of either wheat bran and Chicago gluten meal, or of wheat bran and old process linseed meal, or of wheat bran, old process linseed meal and corn and cob meal. The total quantity of the grain feed mixture used daily, per head, varied from seven to nine pounds; it never exceeded nine pounds. The amount of coarse feed daily consumed per head was controlled in every case by the appetite of each animal on trial. Both lots of steers were kept in the stall during the entire time occupied by the observation-December '89 to April '90. The most satisfactory results were noticed in case of both lots, as far as the daily increase in live weight is concerned, when corn ensilage was fed with a mixture of either wheat bran and Chicago gluten meal or of wheat bran and old process linseed meal. During a period of from six to seven weeks, when feeding the stated feed stuffs, the daily gain in live weights in case of the yearlings reached in one instance as high as 2.9 pounds per head, while in case of the two-year-old steers it amounted under corresponding conditions to 3.45 pounds per head. The live weight of the yearlings at that time was from 650 to 700 pounds each, and that of the older steers from 1150 to 1200 pounds each. The market cost of the daily fodder rations used at the stated time averaged, per head, in case of the yearlings, 13.79 cents, and its net cost was 5.03 cents; while in case of the two older steers the market cost of the daily fodder rations averaged 18 cents per head, and its net cost 7.04 cents. We paid in case of both lots of young steers 3 cents per pound of live weight, and sold at the close of the experiments the older lot of steers to the butcher at 33 cents per pound of live weight. The shrinkage noticed between live weight and dressed weight varied from 34% to 36%. Dressed beef brought at that time from 5 to 6 cents per pound. The financial result of the experiment as far as the highest daily yield of live weight is concerned, at stated market price may be seen from the following summary : 12.97 Cash received for live weight produced per day, 11.21 From these statements it will be noticed that the profit secured by the operation consisted in the value of the obtainable manure and in the disposition of our home-raised fodder articles at fair loca!, retail selling prices. The yearlings proved more remunerative than the two-year-old steers. Two facts were apparently fairly demonstrated by our first observation, namely: 1. Yearlings increase at a higher rate in live weight in case of a corresponding suitable diet, than two-year-old steers, taking the total temporary live weight of the animal on trial as the basis for the comparison. The highest daily increase in the live weight of the yearlings -650 pounds each-amounted in our first feeding experiment to 0.46 pounds per one hundred pounds of live weight; and in that of the twoyear-old steers-1150 pounds each-to 0.3 pounds per one hundred pounds of live weight. 2. Our local market price of young steers and of dressed beef necessitates not only an exceptional care in the selection of efficient and low priced feed stuffs, but also a careful attention in regard to a judi |