26 TYPES OF MARKET CLASSES OF LIVE STOCK 



Years ago, various groups of men in different localities under 

 different conditions and with different sorts of unimproved cattle 

 took up beef production, or dairying, or a combination of the 

 two. In this way originated the various breeds of the three 

 types of cattle as we know them today. Competition does not 

 narrow each type down to a single best breed, because no one 

 breed is best under all conditions of soil, climate, and food supply. 



As compared to other kinds of farm live stock, cattle have a 

 special advantage in their ability to utilize coarse roughage 

 such as coarse hay, corn stalks, and silage, and the coarser pas- 

 tures of ranker growth. No other farm animal will utilize so 

 much of what would otherwise be waste. 



Definition of Cattle Terms. 



Bull. Breeding male, any age. 



Cow. Mature female. 



Heifer. A female under three years old, and usually one 

 that has not produced offspring. 



Calf. Young animal, usually under one year old. 



Steer. Unsexed male, castrated when a calf. The best 

 age to castrate calves is six to eight weeks old, although they 

 may be castrated from a week to six months old. The longer 

 castration is delayed the greater is the risk of loss from the 

 operation and the greater the liability of coarseness developing 

 in head, neck, and forequarters. 



Stag. Unsexed male, castrated when mature or so far ad- 

 vanced toward maturity that masculinity is plainly evident 

 in head, neck, and forequarters. Well-developed masculine 

 character constitutes coarseness in a market animal. 



Spayed heifer. Unsexed heifer. Spaying is performed by 

 making an incision in front of the left hip and removing the 

 ovaries. The scar left after the operation is about the only 

 sure method of identifying such heifers. 



Free-martin. An imperfectly-sexed heifer born twin with a 

 bull. They are infertile. All heifers born twin with bulls are 

 not free-martins. 



