466 DISEASES OF CATTLE. 



with " baby" beef. He feeds pure-bred and grade Shorthorn calves 

 coining in December, January, and February until the following- Decem- 

 ber, when they average 11 months old. These calves generally had 

 most of their dams' milk until G or 7 mouths old and Mr. Harris figures 

 that they each consumed : 



20 Imshels of corn, worth $5.00 



1,000 pounds bran, worth 6.00 



300 pounds oil-meal, worth 3.00 



Total cost of grain 14 00 



In addition they had pasture and what hay they would eat, which, 

 together, he estimates at $4. These calves weighed from 910 to 920 

 pounds each at eleven months, and brought from $3.80 to $5.00 per hun- 

 dred, which returns are certainly satisfactory, while yearlings have but 

 held their own and required the space and feed of nearly two calves 

 during the additional twelve months, to say nothing of interest and 

 accidents. While Mr. Harris' figures doubtless represent the extreme 

 limit in the direction of early maturity, and it is probable that many 

 will not dare to attempt to sell beef at twelve months old, there is no 

 good argument for not making a vigorous effort to steadily reduce the 

 age at which steers are marketed. The first requisite is good breeding, 

 for without a good calf further effort is of little avail. There is a gross 

 error abroad which it seems almost impossible to down, and that is the 

 idea that blooded stock can live on less food than the common cattle of 

 the country. The truth is that such animals, being more artificial, really 

 require better care and more abundant food. Their point ot vantage is 

 their ability to consume a large amount of food, making the most of it 

 and putting it on the most valuable parts of the body in the shape of 

 meat; further, they do this at an early age, long before native cattle 

 have reached anything like maturity. Improved stock means an im- 

 proved feeder with an intelligent understanding and good corn cribs. 

 Having good stock, feed liberally. I know of no greater crime toward 

 our stock in this country than parsimonious feeding. It is even more 

 common to hear men boast of how little their cattle have wintered on 

 than how much they have been fed and what large gains they have 

 made. There must be a great change in this particular before genuine 

 improvement comes. 



THE DAIRY COW INTRODUCTORY. 



Enormous as is the dairy industry of this country, its continued 

 growth for some time yet seems almost certain, for the reason that our 

 progress has been largely in the direction of an improved product 

 rather than a mere increase in gross output. Low prices for beef cat- 

 tle have been brought on in no small measure through flooding the mar- 

 ket with lean or half-fatted steers, which must be consumed in some 

 way and drag down the prices of well-fatted representatives of their 



