CIHM Microfiche Series (IMonograplis) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical Minroraproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductions historiquaa Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the tMst original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibiiographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming are checked below. D D D n D D D D D D Coloured covers / Couverture de couleur Covers damaged / Couverture endommagde Covers restored and/or laminated / Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculde Cover title missing / Le titre de couverture manque Coloured maps / Cartes g^ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Cok>ured plates and/or iliustrattons / Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material / Relid avec d'autres documents Only edition available / Seuie Edition disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortton along interior margin / La reiiure serrte peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge intdrieure. Blank leaves added during restorations may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparatssent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6\6 filmtes. Additional comments / Commentaires suppldmentaires: L'Instltut a mksrofiimd le meiiieur exemplaire qu'il lui a M possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-4tre unk^ues du point de vue bibli- ographkiue, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modmcatk)n dans la metho- ds normale de filmage sont indk|ute ci-dessous. I I Cotoured pages/ Pages de couleur I I Pages damaged/ Pages endommagdes n Pages restored and/or laminated / Pages restaur6es et/ou peiltouMes r~y Pages discotoured, stained or foxed / Pages dteotortes, tachet^es ou piques I I Pages detached/ Pages d^tach^s Showthrough / Transparence I I Quality of print varies / D D n Qualitd inhale de I'impresston Includes supplementary material / Comprend du materiel suppl6mentaire Pages wholly or partially obscured by en-ata slips, tissues, etc., have been refiimed to ensure the best possible image / Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'enata, une pelure, etc., ont 6X6 1\\m6es k nouveau de fa^on d obtenir la meilleure image possible. Opposing pages with varying colouration or discotourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des colorations variables ou des decolorations sont film^es deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleure image possible. This Kwn Is filiMd «t th* raduetion ratio dwelwd below / Co doeumsnt ost film* au tarn da rMuction indiqirf d-dossous. lOx 14x 18x 22x 26x 30x J 12x lex 20x a4x 9il¥ 99v Th« eopy filmad h«r« Hm to ttM gwMroaity of: Library Aflrieultur* Camdt bMn raproduesd thanks Th« imagM appaaring hara ara ttM peaalbia eanaJdaring tha condition of ttM original eopy and in icaaping fflniing eontraet spoeiTieationa« quality lagiWIity ttM OftgiiMl copiaa in printad papac covars ara flunad beginning vwitti ttM front covar and ending on ttM laat page wMi a printad or iltuatratad imprae- •ion. or ttM baek eovar wlMn appreprlata. All ottMT original eopiae ara fHmad beginning on ttM first page witti a printed or iUuetrstad imprae sien. end ending on ttM laet page wMi a printad or iliuetreted Impreeelon. The laat recorded frenM on eeeh ndcrofietM stMH contain tha symbol —^(meaning "CON> TINUEO"). or tha symbol ▼ (meaning "END"), whietMver eppilee. pletee. cherts, etc.. mey be filmed et different reduction ratloe. ThoiM too lerge to be entirely included in one eiipoeure ere fiimed beginning in ttM upper left hend comer, left to rigtit end top to bottom, ee many framee ae required. This following diegrams IHuetrate ttM mettwd: L'wamplair* fHiii4 fut raproduit grica i la g«n4roait« da: BiMiotMqtM AgriouHura Canada Laa imagaa auivantaa am ttt raproduitaa avae la ptaM grand aoin, eampta tami da la eandidon at da la nattatd da raxampialra film«. at ti eonfemilt* avae laa eendltlofia du eantrat da Laa aRampMraa eriginaux dont la eouvartura an papiar aat imprlmda aont fiimda an eomman«ant par la pramiar plat at an tarminant aoit par la dand^ra paga qui eamporta una amprainta dimpraaaion au dlHuatradon. aoit par la aacond plat, aalon la caa. Toua laa autraa axamplairaa originaux aont fllmda an commandant par la pramiAra paga qui eomporta una amprainta dimpraaaion ou dlNuatration at an tarminant par la damiira paga qui eomporta una taila Un daa aymlMlaa auivanta apparaltra aur la damiAra Imaga da ehaqua microficha, aaion la caa: la aymboia •-*> aignifia "A SUIVRE", la aymboia ▼ aignifia "FIN". I. planchaa. tabiaaux. ate., pauvant Atra fUmda A daa taux da r«duetion diffvnnb«rS>tli,imS... !y aoth, 1916 Avmga of Km Ohoioe Htaan. • » 7» 800 7T6 900 7» Thii ahows an aTerage increase in the same ft^ade of steers of $1.98 per hundred- weight, and a difference of $2.60 per hundredweight between the price of beat feeders in the fall and choice fat steers in the spring. During these same years the average cost of feeders bought in the fall for the Brandon Experimental Farm was $5.0.1 per hundredweight, and the average selling price in the spring was $7.43 per hundred- weight, or an average increase of $2.38 per hundredweight. These figures show that there is a good opportunity for a limited number of Manitoba farmers to engage in winter steer-feeding with rcaaonable assurance of a chance to make money if tiie steers are fattened without too great cost Side-line to Ortin OrowinK. Winter steer-feeding fits in well as a side-line when grain growing is the main feature of the farm. There is no work entailed during the busy summer season when the crop is being handled. The work comes in the winter and consequently costs very little; in fact, often it uses time that would otherwise be spent in idleness. Straw that would otherwise be burned is put to good use, and oats and barley can be marketed more profitably by feeding them than by selling in the usual way. This feature should appeal to the grain grower who has large amounts of oats and barley to market. During the past six years the prices in the following table have been obtained for oats and barley fed to steers at the Brandon Experimental Farm. These are averages from outdoor and indoor feeding and with several different kinds of roughage. The figures are obtained by deducting the first cost of the steers plus the cost of all feeds except oats and barley from the receipts of the sale of the steers. Labour has not been included. • • ?rieM Obtaiaid for 0*ts tni .ej fad to Itotn. Par 1*0 Ita. IMO 11 67 mi 3 16 IMS 1 87 IMS 0»7 m4 1 86 1»1» « M Arence of lis jpmwi II 87 This is equal to 89| oenU per buihol for barley and 68| emti par bushel for oat*. These prices are surely a good rrturn for tho additional work of earinir for steers as nompand to baulinir grain. Shelter. One of the first objections likely to be raised against wintpr steer-feeding is thr Uok of stabling accommodation. It has now bwn thoroughly proved that warm, sub- stantial bams are not necessary for success. Larger gains may be made where com- fortable stabling is ayailable, but it is very doubtful indeed if the additional gains would pay the interest on the cost of expensive buildings. Cheap corrals and sheds provide sufficient shelter. For five years, 1908 to 1912, inclusive, a test was conducted at the Brandon Experimental Farm, feeding steers outdoors with absolutely no shelter except a grove of scrub trees, as compared with feeding them in a comfortable, warm itablfr The average profit per steer for the five years on the outdoor lots was 19.14 and on the indoor lots, $11.59. The average daily gain per steer was 1'21 pounds for the outdoor lots, and 1-89 pounds per day for those fed indoors. Since then, the corral and shed shown in the accompanying illustration have been put up, and stecri* fed in it during the winter of 1914-15 made an average daily gain of 1-72 pounds. While the profit was only $4.06 per head, that was due to the excessive price of grain : with feed at ordinary rates, a good profit would have been shown. A shed and corral of thia type can be built very cheaply. It provides shelter from felling snow and from wind. So long as cattle are dry and out of the wind they do not mind low tempera - -^ very much. Wliat to Feed. • • Steers can be fattened with only straw and grain. When hay and other feeds arc scarce and dear, and grain is cheap it may often pay to feed in that method. How- ever, it is much easier to make up a good ration when a greater variety of feeds can be used. When only straw and grain can be used, the latter must be used in large quantities. It is harder to keep steerg from going " off their feed " when grain is the principal part of the ration than where a more varied diet is possible. Consequently the growing of hay crops and corn will make more economical feeding possible since they allow the use of a lighter grain ration. If corn is being grown in any consider- able area, it will pay to have a silo. In the winter of 1913-14 a test was made here comparing ordinary dry corn fodder with ensilage. The steers fed corn fodder gained ] -44 pounds per day on the average at a cost of 10 cents per pound gain ; the steers fed ensilage made an average gain of l-SS pounds daily at a cost of only 7} cents per pound. OwtatitlM to rM4. Roushaca ihould b« fed in »■ lar^e i|U«ntititM m tho ttaen will coniunu*. It will be found that the average uteer will ooniume about 1.% to !• pound* of hay pin moat Western farm*. If two Rradn of rough^ce have to be UMd. the poomt ihouId be finished up in the early part of the leaion and the best saved for the ftiushinB period when the steers will be more par- ticular about what they eat. If com is used it may take t)ie place of part of the hay. Twelve pounds of dry com fixWer or 30 pounds of cntilagr would b« * much as a steer would handle in a day. This, with 10 pounds of straw, makes a Oay'c roughage when these are used. The grain ration will usually !>«■ oats and barley under Western conditions. Barley is usually more economical foed tlian oats, but is rather heavy to feed alone. The ration should be small at first and (rradually increase. At thi^. Experimental Farm, we start the steers iu November ut 2 pounds of grain each. About December 1 we increase to 4 pounds, about New Years to 6 pounds, and about February 1 to S pounds. They continue on this ration for seven or eis ht weeks, then the rate is gradually increased until they arc gutting about 12 to U pounds each per day when they go on the market about the end of May. Tn this way we believe we get about ns economical results as can be obtained. These quantities are fed along with ensilage or hay or both. When straw is the only roughage u»ed. about 3 pounds of grain more per steer per day should b^ used. By this method of feeding, the cattle nre carried along cheaply m the early part of the season. They should be making steady gains, but will not grow rapidly. Then, when warmer weather comes in the "pring. they nre fed more heavily, and as a result gain rapidly in weight and condition. Publishsd by authority of Hon. MARTIN BURRELL, Ministsr of Agrioulturs, Ottawa, Ont.