STIORTnORX BKEEDERS' ASSOCIATION, 22l 



written my address because a mau who talks about this subject of feed- 

 ing a show steer is lilcely to make some statements tliat will l»e misunder- 

 stood. I seldom ever do this, but have done it this time in order that I 

 maj' not make anj' statements that will be misleading to anyone. It 

 seems to me that anything that is read is never as interesting as though 

 it were extemporaneous, but I liave tried to make this paper interesting, 

 .so I will begin with it. 



HOW TO VEKY) A SHOW STEER FORM BIRTH TO THREE YEARS 



OLD. 



To those AA'ho have fed and shown animals for five or ten, or may be 

 twenty years, it nuiy seem like an easy matter to tell how to successfully 

 feed a steer from birth to three years old. To me the task of intelligently 

 telling, the "how'" is almost as dithcult as the doing of the actual thing. 

 At the outiiet it may be said that for any one to tell just how to treat 

 steers is difficult because of the great ditference found in animals. Any 

 one who tries to follow a specific prescription for feeding animals will 

 fail utteily. Tables and feeding standards are good things, and have a 

 place; the balanced ration is desirable, as is a laiowledge of the principles 

 of nutrition. All of these may be brought to bear in successful feeding, 

 but no hard, fast, definite rule can l)e laid down as a guide to the feeder. 

 The question of individuality must be taken into consideration; two steers 

 side by side, of the same breed, age and weight retiuire very different 

 feeding. One is a good feeder, always ready to eat most any Avholesome 

 ration, contented and unconcerned if his food and surroundings are 

 changed. He puts on tiesli no matter nmch what the kind or amount of 

 food. The other animal is dainty, nervous and disturl)ed by the slightest 

 change of food and surroundings; he must be coaxed, he gets sulky and 

 won't eat, his digestion is liad, and in such cases feeding becomes a great 

 problem as well as an unpleasant task. The two illustrations are brought 

 before you that you may be impressed with one of the most important 

 phases, not only of feeding a show steer. Init one of tlie first lessons a 

 suecessful feeder of animals nuist learn, that of individuality. 



To make tlie most out of them, every individual in a lierd must be 

 studied, just as you would study men. The feeder must luiderstand his 

 animals, know their characteristics. l>e <iuick to see when they are a 

 little off, or lack appetite. In fact, the most successful man Avill see the 

 symptoms of froultle and thus liy proper care, avoid it lu'fore it occiu's. 

 The foregoing may be aiiplied alike to breeding and meat stock. I want, 

 however, to say that the feeding and fitting of show animals for the block 

 is vei'v different from tiie feeding and lilting (if a breeding herd, but as the 

 time is limited, it will be necessary to speak more p:irticularly of steers. 



The breeders of piu'e-bred cattle too fre<iuently eiidi'avor to make 

 first-class steers out of animals th;it for some reason or other would not 



