THE BEEF BEEEDS OF CATTLE 217 



The first cross of a Shorthorn on any of the beef breeds 

 makes a good beef animal. The " prime Scots," which 

 are so popular in the English markets, are crosses of 

 the Shorthorn and Aberdeen-Angus. The " blue-gray " 

 steers, which are also highly prized in the British markets, 

 are crosses of the light-colored Shorthorns on the Gallo- 

 way. 



248. Distribution. The Shorthorn is the most widely 

 distributed breed of cattle. It is found in Europe, es- 

 pecially in Great Britain, in Asia, South Africa, Australia, 

 North and South America. It is the most popular and 

 most widely distributed beef breed of cattle in the United 

 States and Canada, and is found in every state and 

 province in these two countries. In the United States, 

 Shorthorns are found most numerously in the following 

 states, in order of their importance : Iowa, Missouri, 

 Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, 

 Michigan. They are still growing in popularity. 



One feature which adds greatly to the popularity of 

 the Shorthorns is their great adaptability. They have 

 the power to adapt themselves to varying conditions of 

 food, climate and treatment. Although they are best 

 adapted to temperate regions, they readily adjust them- 

 selves to greater extremes of temperature and climate. 

 They possess a fair degree of hardiness, and do fairly well 

 under range conditions. The Shorthorn was the first 

 breed used for the improvement of the cattle on the ranges, 

 and has been used extensively for this purpose in the 

 United States, Argentina and Australia, but in recent years 

 has been largely supplanted by the Hereford. Notwith- 

 standing its value on the range, the Shorthorn is best 

 adapted to a system of mixed farming, such as is followed 

 in the Mississippi valley, where land is so valuable that a 



