DIGEST 



Steers for Feeding Must have Heef Characteristics fixed by beef 

 ancestry. These may be obtained quite satisfactorily by continu- 

 ally using pure bred bulls of the same type and breed. Pages 3 to 6 



The Highest Percentage of Good Cuts and the Least Waste in 

 Killing are the qualities desired in beef steers. In selecting feed- 

 ers, however, a strong frame with plenty of room for vital organs, 

 must be chosen, for the steer that would kill with least waste 

 might not be strong enough to put on the greatest amount of flesh 

 economically. Pages 6 to 8 



A Wide Strong Hack, Great Heart Girth, and Smooth Covering 

 of Hones are essentials in a good feeder. The head is an excellent 

 index of the power of a steer to make economical gains. A side 

 view of the body from hocks and knees to back bone should show a 

 well tilled rectangle. The general form should be compact and deep 

 and broad. Short legged animals are desirable. Good balance or 

 proportion of parts is very important. Pages 8 to 12 



Cattle are Classified by the Purpose for Which They are Sold; 



and graded according to their fitness for that purpose. 



Pages 12 to 18 



Feede?-s are Usually Honght at the big markets or from local 

 buyers. High priced land cannot be profitably used to raise steers. 

 When to buy, depends largely on the buyer's equipment, the amount 

 and time he intends to feed, and on the condition of the steers. 



Pages 18 to 22 



It Costs More per Pound to Fatten a Steer than the Fxtra Flesh 

 will Sell for. Consequently the selling price for the whole carcass 

 must be enough greater per pound to pay the loss on the added 

 flesh and make a profit. The difference between the cost price per 

 hundred pounds of the feeder and the selling price per hundred 

 pounds of the same steer when fat, is called "the feeding margin." 

 There must always be a sufficient margin to break even: A greater 

 margin means a profit. The necessary margin depends on the cost 

 of feeds, the ability of the steer to make gains, the initial cost and 

 weight, distance from market, season of year, the length of the 

 feeding season. Pages 22 to 24 



Cattle are \o\v Fsually Fed Sixty to \inety Days, as a longer 

 period often does not pay. It in the best to select that grade of 

 feeders which seems at the time of buying, to offer the widest mar- 

 gin, or the quickest gains in flesh on a narrower margin. It may 

 somet imes be better to fatten thin stockers up to the butcher class 

 than selected feeders up to prime bee 1 !'. Pages 24 to 2.1 



Active Hogs Should Follow the Steers. I5y special preparation 



of feed, as by shelling or grinding corn, the steers may be made to 

 produce larger gains, but the combined gains of hogs and steers will 

 be no greater than where corn is fed on the cob. Page 25 



Selling to a Local Huyer is Fsually the IJest Policy unless one 

 has two or more carloads to market. "However, shipping to the 

 market hns advantages as well as risks. The best time to market 

 is when nricos ;ire going up. for there is then a keener demand. 



Piif-es 25 to 30 



