Four lots of 10 Hereford steer calves per lot were used in the study.
The calves were part of 220 purchased from the Brite Ranch at Marfa,
Texas. They cost 29 cents a pound delivered to Manhattan November
3, 1952. From the date received until they were placed on test December
18, 1952, they were fed prairie hay and 1 pound of soybean pellets
per head daily.
All lots were wintered on dry bluestem pasture except Lot 1 wintered
in a drylot. The calves on pasture were rotated every 15 days to equalize
any differences due to pasture. The pastures in which the steers
grazed were stocked at a normal rate during the 1952 summer season;
sufficient grass remained for winter grazing. The winter stocking rate
ranged from 4 to 13 acres per steer, varying with the different sizes of
pasture.