CATTLE. 91 



When beef production is the object, the massive, compact, block-shaped body, with fine 

 bone, is best suited to the purpose; one so formed as to- admit of the laying on of the 

 greatest amount of flesh in those parts that furnish the most desirable cuts at the butcher s 

 block, and with the least possible amount of offal. A narrow-chested, gaunt, large-boned 

 animal will require a longer time and a greater amount of food in proportion to his weight 

 to be ready for the shambles than the latter, and when ready, cannot possibly furnish as much 

 meat in proportion to his size and weight, or of as good quality. 



The Hereford, Short-Horn, and Devons are probably the best types of beef breeds that 

 could be mentioned, their carcasses when well fattened furnishing the largest proportion of 

 good beef, compared with their live weight, or the least amount of offal. If working oxen 

 are desired, a form compatible with strength, endurance, and activity, suited to the purpose, 

 should be selected. A working ox should have considerable breadth to give sinewy power; 

 he should also have large lungs, and sufficient room for their expansion to give him sufficient 

 wind for the hard work he will be called upon to perform. A dairy cow should have a well- 

 developed frame, and such as will admit of room for the healthful and active exercise of the 

 organs of digestion and secretion. Her milk veins should be large and prominent, her udder 

 capacious and set well forward, while she should be able to assimilate her food into an 

 abundant supply of milk, and keep in good flesh. 



She should possess all the characteristics which are the well-developed external marks of 

 good milkers, and which very rarely, if ever, disappoint, the practiced eye or skillful hand. 

 Thus it will be seen that qualities that would be considered the highest possible degree of 

 excellence in one breed or class of animals, might not be desired in another, but that each 

 are to be judged by their utility for the purpose designed. Beauty of form and color should 

 not be entirely ignored in cattle, but should always be secondary to utility; yet perfection of 

 form, as we have seen, must differ very essentially in different breeds of animals, and it 

 should be the aim of the breeder to attain the highest degree of excellence possible 

 according to its respective kind. 



What Breeds to Keep. From the description of the many different breeds of 

 cattle previously given, it will readily be seen, that no single breed would be found superior 

 to all others for all purposes and localities, embracing as our country does, such a variety of 

 soil and climate. Before selecting a breed, the first consideration should be, as previously 

 stated, its adaptation to the use to which it is to be appropriated, and second, its adaptation 

 to the locality in which it is to be placed. The breed most profitable for the farmer who 

 makes beef a specialty would in all probability prove the least profitable for the dairy; and 

 the cow that would produce milk richest in the butter element, might not prove the most 

 remunerative to the farmer for selling milk, unless an extra price was paid on account of its 

 superior quality. The breed that would be the most profitable for the Western grazier, or the 

 Kentucky farmer, might not be the best for the farmer in some portions of New England. 



The choicest beef breeds should never be chosen for the dairy, and a large heavy feeding 

 breed should not be selected for regions where pastures are scanty, especially if pasturing is 

 practiced in summer, instead of soiling. The character and condition of the pastures in 

 which the animals are to be kept in summer, and the quality of food they are to be supplied 

 with in winter, will also require consideration in the choice of a breed. The farmer whose 

 object is to sell large quantities of milk at the common price should select the largest 

 milkers, while the farmer who aims to make the best butter and in large quantities, should 

 select a breed that produces the richest milk. There are localities where the rich soil 

 produces an abundance of the best grasses, with plenty of pure water and a mild climate. 

 In a region of this kind any of the imported breeds would do exceedingly well; but there are 

 other sections where the soil, climate, and conditions are such that a choice with reference to 

 special adaptation would be necessary in order to reach the best results. 



