PROGRESSIVE BEEF CATTLE RAISING 



PART III. 



Cattle Breeding 



Native cattle in any section of the 

 How Cattle country have differed considerably 



Are Improved from the type which has come to be 

 accepted as standard by American 

 steer feeders. The general procedure by which the quality 

 of this native stock has been improved has been through 

 the grading up with sires of improved and purebred stock* 

 These animals come from strains which have been selected 

 for special beef purposes and in addition to possessing the 

 desired type are usually able to transmit it to their off- 

 spring. Despite the loyalty of the supporters of the 

 different breeds to their favored stocks there is little 

 difference in the ability of Shorthorns, Herefords, Aber- 

 deen-Angus, and Galloways to transmit improved beef- 

 making ability. Because the Aberdeen-Angus and 

 Galloways happen to be black and polled their sup- 

 porters have believed them to be more prepotent for 

 grading purposes than some of the lighter colored animals 

 but it is now known that these characteristics are inherited 

 separately and have no relation necessarily to the trans- 

 mission of fattening qualities and early maturity which 

 are passed on as a result of their own merits. 



To grade up the stock of a locality 

 Grading up means literally to use purebred bulls 



Beef Cattle on native cows generation after genera- 



tion. The characters which make a 

 purebred valuable are thus transferred to the herd, the 

 degree of transfer depending on the number of crosses of 

 improved blood. For example: If a Hereford be crossed 

 to Florida "piney- woods" cows, half of the inherited 

 characters of the offspring are Hereford, the other half, 

 "piney- woods." If to these crossbred heifers, Herefords 



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