BEEF TYPES 367 



stream, a perfect picture of peace and contentment. 

 Then the young calf ! What a wabbly creature it is ! 

 Because it cannot stand the journey with its mother while 

 she is browsing she hides it, perhaps in a clump of bushes. 

 And for the reason that it must go without food for a 

 long time, it has a large, compound stomach which holds 

 nourishment enough for several hours. The mother, too, 

 feeding her young at such long intervals, needs a large 

 udder to hold the milk supply. 



270. Fanners, however, raise cows, not because they are 

 beautiful, or have interesting structures and habits, but 

 because they may be very profitable. There was a time when 

 cattle were the main bearers of man's burdens. They 

 serve that purpose still in China, and, indeed, to some 

 degree, even in some sections of the United States. In 

 our pioneer days, especially when there was much logging 

 to be done, oxen were preferred to horses. Oxen pulled 

 slowly but steadily, and had sufficient patience for such 

 tedious work. As draft animals they even yet are widely 

 used, particularly in foreign countries. 



The main reason, however, for our interest in cattle lies 

 in the fact that they supply us with meat, hides, milk, 

 and many useful products of milk, cream, butter, and 

 cheese, and that they supply large quantities of manure. 

 We have learned how important it is to keep up soil fer- 

 tility. Cattle return to the soil as manure nearly three 

 fourths of the fertile elements which they consume as 

 food. 



The breeds of farm cattle are classified under two 

 heads, beef cattle and dairy cattle. 



271. Beef Types. The use to which our forefathers 

 designed cattle determined their type. Beef and the 

 ability to produce just enough milk to feed the calves 

 were the two things wanted in the beef types. The ani- 



