136 CQNKEY'S STOCK BOOK 



SHAPE Shape is the important thing. A compact square shape, in fact, 

 a block is the thing to look for; ribs well sprung, loins wide and 

 deep, thighs plump and meaty; in short, room for choice cuts. It must not 

 be leggy. 



QUALITY Quality counts. Look for fine bone, smooth joints, delicate 

 horns (if any), delicate ears; chief of all, a hide that is fairly 

 thick and protective, but with hair fine and silky. Hair, you know, is gen- 

 erally taken to indicate quality. 



BEEF BREEDS The cattle that come up to these requirements are 

 chiefly the Shorthorn or Durham, our old dual-purpose 

 friend, and the Hereford, Galloway, Devon and Aberdeen-Angus. 



WHICH Suit yourself which is best, i. e., best for you. It would be a 

 IS BEST? waste of time to claim for any one of these fine types relative 

 superiority. For early maturing qualities and general good 

 beefing the Aberdeen-Angus takes the lead, according to some thinking. 

 You know it was the Angus breeds that topped the show at the 1910 Inter- 

 national in Chicago. But the highest priced steer ever sold in this country 

 was a Hereford; while the grand champion prize in individual steer classes 

 at the International 1907 went to a prize Shorthorn, and the same breed 

 took the reserve championship a year later. 



When you've narrowed down to a few breeds, better give up trying to 

 get it down any farther. 



Every breeder or owner has his favorite best breed, just as he has 

 belief in his favorite best automobile. It is hard to estimate popularity, but 

 if the Herd Registers are the test, then the Shorthorn must be the most 

 popular of all the beef cattle breeds. 



SHORTHORNS Shorthorns were first imported in 1790; some claim a few 

 years earlier even. But their real popularity dates from 

 about 1835, when very large importations were made; and the stock was 

 generally distributed. Shorthorns are of good beef type and mature at 30 

 months, being fully grown at four years. While of medium hardiness and 

 grazing ability, they do very well under all conditions of range and climate. 

 They are good milkers, as we have seen in the description under dual- 

 purpose cattle. The home of the Shorthorn was originally the counties of 

 York, Durham and Northumberland in Northeast England. In fact, they 

 were often called Durhams. In color they are red, or red with white, some- 

 times roan, sometimes all white. In the red or roan they are often variously 

 shaded. As with all dual-purpose cattle, there are fat Shorthorns and dairy 

 Shorthorns, favoring distinctly one type or the other. 



HEREFORD The Hereford is certainly a kingly breed, profitable for beef 

 production and next to the Shorthorn in popularity when 

 the Herd Registers are taken as the basis. The Hereford was developed 

 in England as far back as 1627. The Hereford has made more improvements 

 over here than any of the beef breeds, with the possible exception of the 

 Galloway. Breeders have especially set themselves the task of correcting 

 the throatiness or dewlap and also have greatly improved the rump and 

 thighs for market. Herefords are big cattle, the males running 2500 Ibs. 

 mature, the cows 1500. In addition they weigh heavy for size, and show 

 up well in thick marbled cuts of meat. They mature very early. They 

 actually are the best of all breeds for "baby beef." But they often fail in 



