CATTLE. 



depends largely upon the breed and locality. With beef herds, as with those for the dairy, 

 the best for the purpose and locality should be selected. It costs no more to fatten a good 

 animal than a poor one; in fact, it costs less to fatten a well-formed animal that is capable of 

 laying on fat and flesh readily than it does to fatten one that is coarse boned and ill-formed. 



It is therefore of the highest importance that a beef animal have the proper form for 

 furnishing the largest possible amount of meat for the &quot; best cuts &quot; at the butcher s block, 

 with the least waste. Beef animals should consequently have large, compact, and block- 

 shaped forms. 



Early maturity is also an essential point in the selection of cattle for beef production. 

 There is a great difference in breeds in this respect; some will mature into good beef animals 

 only when five or six years old, while others will be well matured at from three to four years. 

 It requires no argument to show that the latter must be much more profitable than .the 

 former for either the grazier or stall feeder, since the sooner the animal is fitted for the 

 market, the less the expense, and consequently the larger the profits. Some farmers seem to 

 regard an ox or cow as such simply, without any regard to characteristics, and we occasion 

 ally hear the remark, though not often in this enlightened age, that &quot; one breed is as good as 

 another.&quot; If, in the light of all the experience and observation that are attainable on this 

 subject, any individual persists in carrying out in practice what is asserted in the above 

 words, he must expect to take the consequences in little or no profit, as the result of his 

 ignorance and stupid obstinacy. It is highly important that cattle intended for beef, as well 

 as for other purposes, should be w ell fed from birth, and kept growing. A. calf that is stunted 

 and starved during the first year of its life will never attain the size of one that is well fed, 

 no matter how generous the feeding may be afterward, neither will it furnish beef of as good 

 quality as the latter. Proper form and size, rapid growth, and early maturity are important 

 items in beef production. Spayed heifers will fatten at two years, and attain large size and 

 heavy weight, but it is a cruel practice, and one that we would not recommend; besides 

 there is danger of losing the animal, spaying not unfrequently being followed by the death 

 of the heifer. 



As has been stated in previous pages of this work, the best beef breeds, and consequently 

 the most profitable for beef production, in sections to which they are adapted, are the 

 Short-Horns, Herefords, and Devons, as they seem to combine more than any other, the chief 

 characteristics essential in an animal for this purpose. There are of course other breeds that 

 make excellent beef, and may be profitably used for this purpose, but the above-mentioned 

 are by common consent acknowledged to be most desirable, w r here beef production alone is 

 the object. What is applicable to these breeds is also applicable to their grades, and the 

 higher the grade the better will the animal be, other conditions being equal. 



Feeding Beef Cattle. It is found that variety in the food of cattle, as well as other 

 domestic animals, is the necessary requirement for the highest success in rearing and 

 fattening them. Although quite good beef may be made from grass-fed animals, where 

 there is an abundance of succulent grasses, yet the best beef is that produced by a mixture 

 of grass and grain. A suitable amount of grain fed in summer in connection with the 

 grass will cause a more rapid growth of the animal, and expedite early fattening when placed 

 in the stall, providing stall-feeding is practiced; or if not, will hasten the fattening process 

 in a corresponding degree, if fitted for market in the field. The addition of a few pounds of 

 corn per day to each steer while at grass would all be utilized in laying on extra fat, and 

 also have a tendency to improve the quality of the beef for fall shipment by giving more 

 solidity to the flesh, hence there would be less shrinkage when weighed by the purchasers. 



The English, in feeding Indian corn, give with it from four to eight pounds of oil-cake 

 per head, in order to balance its carbonaceous character with albuminoids. Eight pounds of 

 corn, however, with a dozen or more varieties of grass in pasturage, is a much better food 



