FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 129 



prime steers in Washtenaw county at any price. From the present out- 

 look it will only be a few ^ears ere many of us will haye forgotten what 

 a right prime steer looks like. 



With com, oats, oil meal, and, in fact, all feeding grains so cheap, J 

 see no reason why well bred steers will not return a profit even at the 

 now seemingly low prices. By well bred I do not mean pure bred neces- 

 sarily, but bred for a purpose. Many times high grades will answer 

 eyery purpose, except to continue on in the improyement of our stock. 

 But at present prices for well bred cattle no farmer can afford to waste 

 feed on scrub farm stock. We hear the complaint on eyery side that our 

 brightest young men are leaving the farm. Try interesting them in feed- 

 ing a few good cattle. It may result in saving a good farmer at the 

 expense of a cheaj) lawyer, half-fed doctor, or an unscrupulous 

 politician. 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Morton: What would be your opinion as to the relative merits of 

 the Shortliorn and the Angus as to feeding for profit? 



Mr. Boyden: Either one will feed with profit. 



Hon. H. H. Hinds called for. 



Mr. Hinds: I have fed now and then a steer, and once in a while a 

 heifer. I have no doubt, farmers, that as matters stand today, the most 

 profitable place to put your grain is in the well bred steer. I think there 

 cannot be a shadow of doubt about that, and I believe there is no partner 

 you have, iu all your field of agricultural operations, who is so nice, so 

 good natured, so thoroughly appreciative of good environment and nice 

 care as the steer. He is a fellow who is different from the sheej) in this 

 particular; he wants to be dr}- and out of the wind, but he will take the 

 open shed, if you give !iim plenty of corn stalks that haven't been husked. 

 He will take care of them in good shape and do well. Or you may put 

 him in a band box — but it is not always best to turn him out of the band 

 box to the frozen creek — but he will stand even that, if you will give him 

 an extra shock of the corn that is not husked. But it never pays on any 

 market to feed the ill shaped steer. It doesn't pay to feed anything that 

 will not mature before it is tliree years old. 



It is only the nice, well formed animal that it pays to put food into, 

 and there is no animal today which you can so successfully feed as the 

 well bred steer. 



Mr. Johnson : There is one idea, which has not been brought out very 

 clearly; taking the different breeds of heifers and steers, we will call 

 them machines. We are putting feed into these machines; now do tliese 

 people who are in this business not find a large difference in the results 

 obtained? Are there not some animals that will produce a great deal 

 more with the same amount of feed, than others? I would like to have 

 that point brought out. 



Mr. Hinds: The gentlenmn, I don't know as I fairly understood him, 

 but I think he wishes me to advocate breeds. I don't think I will go into 

 the breed question — we haven't time; any w^ell fashioned steer, of any of 

 the beef breeds, you can feed satisfactorily. 



Q: Wouldn't it be well to mention the beef breeds? 

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