UNITED STATES 171 



development and education, and standing as a foundation 

 stone of profitable American agriculture. The obligation to 

 restore that cow to her place of prime importance in profitable 

 small farm production rests on adherents of the Shorthorn 

 breed. It never more insistently demanded recognition than 

 in this time of world-throes, and in the coming period when 

 the back of mankind will be bent under the burden of a torn 

 world's restoration. 



BREEDS OF BEEF CATTLE IX THE UNITED STATES 



Shorthorns 



The decrease in the number of beef animals in the United 

 States, with the resulting high prices which have prevailed 

 during recent years, has caused greater interest to be taken in 

 this industry, and many men who have never raised beef cattle 

 in the past are taking up this line of work. 



The breeds of beef cattle in the United States are the Short- 

 horn, Polled Durham, Hereford, Aberdeen-Angus and Gallo- 

 way. Each of these breeds has been carefully developed for 

 a long period of years, with the result that individuals transmit 

 their characters very readily when bred to native or scrub 

 cattle. 



The Shorthorn is the most popular of the beef breeds in the 

 United States, as shown by their numbers and by their general 

 distribution over all parts of the country. They have a great 

 range of adaptability and do well everywhere. The milking 

 qualities, combined with the high standard as a beef animal 

 and the gentle disposition, have caused the Shorthorn cow to 

 be termed " the farmer's cow " in the United States. The 

 merit of the breed has been proved on the ranges of the west, 

 where the bulls have been used for grading up the scrub cattle 

 of the plains. The Shorthorn crosses well with other breeds 

 or with the scrub cattle, producing from scrub cows calves 

 which develop into fairly desirable beef cattle. The grazing 

 ability of the Shorthorn is not so good as that of some of the 

 other breeds, but where grasses are abundant and feeds are 

 plentiful there is no breed which will surpass it for beef pro- 



