LIVE STOCK BREEDERS. 177 



and can we not plainly see which is the profitable class of cattle to raise 

 from the butcher's standpoint? The last consideration, but by no means 

 the least, is that the farmer must look for that class of cattle which not 

 only fills the butcher's requirement, but that class which, when placed on 

 grass or in the feed lot. will mature at an early age in a smooth, firm and 

 well ripened condition. 



To quote ^[r. John Gosling; the method of gaining this end is best 

 shown : "In gradi^.ig up the herd the breeder should have one aim in 

 view ; that of producing an animal that will mature at an early age, yet 

 being heavy in the high-priced cuts, requiring less feed and time to pre- 

 pare them for market. Intense breeding tends to produce an animal 

 which fattens rapidly and the great mistake many feeders are making in 

 feeding this better class of cattle is that they feed them too long, fattening 

 them too highly to be profitable to the feeder or to produce the best qualr 

 ity of beef for the butchers. This is one lesson the feeder must learn ; 

 when to turn off his cattle at the right time, replacing them with another 

 bunch, thus finishing three bunches of cattle in the same time that it took 

 to finish two bunches where cattle were of the poorer grade." 



At the Iowa Experiment Station it was proven that a highly bred 

 steer did not make a larger gain in the same period of time and on the 

 same amount of feed than a scrub steer, but that the better bred steer fin- 

 ished up into a much smoother product, being a great deal stronger in the 

 more valuable portions. The experiment was conducted with a high grade 

 Herford and a high grade Jersey streer. While in the feed lot both steers 

 put on gains at nearly the same rate and cost per pound, yet, when sent 

 to market the Hereford steer sold for ten cents per hundred above the 

 top prices of any cattle on the market that day, while the Jersey steer sold 

 for $2.i2i/2 per hundred below the top quotations, making a total diflPer- 

 ence of $2.22j-4 per cwt. in the two steers. To cite the reason for this 

 diflFerence in price they were followed to the block. The Jersey had 190 

 pounds of internal tallow and 55 pounds of suet on a 763 pound carcass, 

 or 32.1 per cent, of the carcass was tallow, which was worth at that time 

 4 cents per pound, while the loins were worth 19 cents per pound at whole- 

 sale. This steer dressed but 57.5 per cent, of beef, while the Hereford 

 steer dressed out 67.5 per cent. The Hereford had only 95 pounds of 

 tallow and 38 pounds of suet on an 888 pound carcass, or 15 per cent., 

 as against 32.1 per cent, for the Jersey. 



Thus, we see what good beef blood does for the farmer when placed 

 in the feed lot against the scrub and that there is only one profitable class 

 of cattle for the farmer who wishes to raise beef ; this class being the 

 steer which has been brought as nearly as possible to perfection by the 

 use of good blood. 



A— 12 



