Factors in Steer Feeding. 



377 



hand, deposit much, fat about the intestines and the kidneys. 

 Fat intimately commingled with the muscular fibers of the tis- 

 sues renders such meat tender and toothsome; when placed in 

 separate masses anywhere in the body, and especially within 

 the body cavity, it has a low value as a merchantable article. 

 While fat stored as in the dairy breeds may be best placed for 

 animals designed for milk production, such disposition is certainly 

 against their usefulness in beef production. In this distinction 

 we have a remarkable example of the effort toward specialization 

 in the beef and dairy breeds, and the lesson is important and far- 

 reaching. Here, then, is the second distinct characteristic of the 

 beef-bred steer. 



574. Proportion of valuable parts in carcass. Georgeson of the 

 Kansas Station, l and Wilson and Curtiss of the Iowa Station, 2 

 closed feeding trials with breed representatives by forwarding the 

 animals to Swift & Co., Packers, Chicago and Kansas City, for 

 slaughter. The accompanying table presents the proportion of 

 the several parts yielded by the dressed carcasses: 



Percentage of the various cuts in the dressed carcasses of Holstem, Na- 

 tive and Short-horn steers Kansas and Iowa Experiment Stations. 



So far as the figures go, there is nothing to show the superiority 

 of the beef breeds in yielding a larger percentage of high-priced 

 cuts. Of course, since the percentage of dressed carcass to live 

 weight is greater in the beef breeds, they actually yield somewhat 

 more pounds of valuable parts than the non-beef breeds. But 

 such data are not final on the point in question. The thickness 



1 Bui. 51. 



2 Bui. 20. 



