THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY 



369 



form and gave less milk than the Hol- 

 derness, but of a somewhat higher fat 

 content. 



Polled Albion—About 25 years ago, 

 Mr. B. E. Ferris crossed white Short- 

 horn cows with a polled bull of unknown 

 pedigree, obtaining a white, polled strain 

 of cattle. The admixture of Jersey, 

 Holstein and Ayrshire blood was also al- 

 lowed, but later more Shorthorn blood 

 was introduced into the strain. The 

 cows are said to be somewhat smaller 

 than Shorthorns, yield a fair quantity 

 of milk, ranging as high as 5 per cent 

 in fat. A Polled Albion Breeders' As- 

 sociation has been formed and a herd 

 book is being kept. The bulls weigh 

 about 1,600 pounds and the cows about 

 050. The breed is said to be hardy and 

 of more rapid growth than the Bed 

 Polled. 



MARKET CLASSES 



In the first place, distinction should 

 be made between market classes and 

 market grades. The market classes, 

 which are commonly recognized, in- 

 clude: beef, butcher stock, cutters and 

 canners, veal calves and stockers and 

 feeders ; while the grades are : prime 

 choice, good, medium, common and in- 

 ferior. Attention has been called by 

 Mumford to the importance of studying 

 these market grades, so as to understand 

 thoroughly the market demands. This 

 is a necessary part of a successful beef 

 business, since nondescript beef cattle 

 cannot be assigned to definite classes, 



and the owner must, therefore, take 

 chances regarding the price which he re- 

 ceives for them. The market classes al- 

 ready named may each include several 

 grades, so that the classes gradually 

 shade into one another, but the prime 

 animals of each class are to be readily 

 recognized after a little study. The 



251 brown swiss champion at 



world's fair 



names of the different market classes 

 indicate somewhat the uses to which 

 cattle are put, while the grades refer to 

 quality. 



It should also be remembered that 

 weight has only a secondary influence in 

 determining the grade and the market 

 price. It is commonly recognized as 

 being a much more difficult matter to 

 determine the correct value of low grade 

 cattle than of cattle of the higher 



Fig. 252 — POLLED ALBION BULL 



