ARGENTINA 



65 



weight. Steers are rarely held until four years old, the 



majority being disposed of between 2^ and 34 years, and no effort 

 is spared to arrive at early maturity. In many instances, the 

 cows as they calve are drafted from the dry cows to give the 

 calves a better chance, and again the cows with steer calves are 

 drafted from those with heifer calves, and the former are given 

 the best paddocks to help them along. 



The steer calves are dehorned and castrated on most well- 

 managed places within the first two months from birth. On 

 some properties they are yarded to do this, but it is mostly done 





Group of Hkeedixc; Makes at " Kl Soi cikro,' ' i'KovixiE of Huexos Aires, 



in the paddocks, the calves being caught with the lasso. Owing 

 to the fact that almost all the properties have no other means 

 of watering but troughs filled from wells, dehorning is of great 

 benefit to the steers, as they do not knock each other about nor 

 take up much space at the trough while watering ; furthermore, 

 as almost always stock are trucked when jiassing from one 

 property to another if any considerable distance apart, or to 

 market, the knocking about in the trucks is minimised. The 

 frigorificos find that there is a very much larger percentage of 

 bruised meat from a train-load of liorned steers compared with 

 those that have been dehorned. 



