N6.4.] BEP:F production in new ENGLAND. 71 



Early Maturity. 



Early maturit}^ is the one factor of supreme importance 

 in beef production, and our weakest one. Profit making 

 from four and five 3'ear old steers has gone into oblivion with 

 the post auger and hand reaper ; it is onl}^ known where beef 

 making is in great decrepitude or Avhere food is practically 

 free. The only beef tliat we can hope to make is baby beef. 

 Thirty months should be old age for steers in the east, and 

 at twent}^ to twent}— four months they should be in their 

 prime. 



The philosophy of young beef is obvious. It requires 

 about 16 pounds of food to maintain the existence of a 

 1,000-pound steer without growth. Unless mor*^ is given 

 all is thrown away. If 17 pounds is fed, or 1 pound more 

 than maintenance, growth occurs, and 61/4 per cent of the 

 food given is productive. If 18 pounds, or 2 pounds excess 

 food, is fed, then 12i/'2 per cent of the total ration is pro- 

 ductive force. The addition of the second pound of food 

 adds 100 per cent to the efBciency of the first 17 pounds. 

 If 30 pounds is given and eaten, as it may be, then 14 

 pounds excess food over the food of existence is taken, and 

 53I/3 per cent of the food given is directed to the processes 

 of growth. No folly is greater on the part of the feeder 

 than scanting food, or giving a maintenance ration, or just 

 a little more. 



On our poor old pastures the hard task of grazing a living 

 induces the steer to limit the struggle to little more than 

 existence. Much goes to run the animal machine and little 

 to o-rowth, and an enormous waste results. Low feeding 

 prolongs the period of growth from two to four years. 

 Birth weight, considered the average weiglit of a 1,500- 

 pound steer during growth, is about 720 pounds. Mainte- 

 nance for such a steer is lli/'2 pounds daily. If four j^ears 

 are required to fit him for the shambles instead of two 

 years, maintenance ration is lost for two j^ears. This 

 amounts to 4 tons 395 pounds. As this is the New Eng- 

 land style of beef production, in this factor alone is found 

 loss enough to ruin the business. 



