HOLSTEIN-FRIESIANS FOR BEEF. 145 



H. & W. Bollert, Cassel, Ont., write : We had an opportunity of testing a 

 pure-bred Holstein-Friesian heifer for beef this fall, 1896. She was imported as a 

 calf from North Holland in June, 1883, and was the smallest among the import- 

 ation. We purchased her in October of the same year, and gave her ordinary 

 good care that winter, and nothing but grass during the summer. Finding then 

 that she had not bred, we kept her thin the next two winters (thinking by this 

 method we could start her to breed). She received no grain whatever during 

 this time. Her feed consisted of straw, chaff and a little corn fodder. Finding 

 now that she would not breed, we concluded to feed her. We stall-fed her just 

 four months and then sold her to Mr. Ben Johnson of Stratford, Ont., for Xmas 

 beef. She was now three years and eight months old and weighed 1,880 Ibs. 

 During the last sixty-three days she made a gain of exactly 4 Ibs. per day. 



She was the best feeder we ever saw of any breed and would easily have 

 carried from 300 to 400 Ibs. of beef more if she had been thoroughly fatted. 

 We are thoroughly pleased with the result, and believe that Holsteins can hold 

 their own (even as beefers). 



Daniel E. Bandman of Missoula, Mont., writes : For Montana, Shorthorn 

 and Polled Angus are no earthly use ; Holsteins are the cattle for us. They 

 rnilk well and make magnificent beef. 



Holstein breeders of the West are well aware of the fact that buyers of 

 feeding cattle discriminate against our breed when selecting their herds for the 

 feed lot. The question has often been asked, why is it ? Mr. W. F. Whitney of 

 Mexico, Mo., thus explains: There can be but one answer. When a buyer 

 visits your herd, he does so with the determination to buy for as little money as 

 possible. He knows that at least one-half of the profit in feeding a bunch of 

 cattle is made in the buying, hence it is that he is on the lookout to pick out 

 the flaws in what you offer for sale. He never calls your attention to the best 

 in the lot, and be they ever so even in condition, size and form, if there happens 

 to be a few black-and-white steers, be they Holsteins or of another breed, he is 

 ready to point them out and say something like this : " Well, friend, you have 

 a very nice lot of steers, just such as I am looking for ; but I cannot pay your 

 price unless you cut out those black-and-white fellows over there." He knows 

 the objection the farmer has to dividing his cattle, especially when such a divis- 

 ion leaves only a few head on his hands. " But," says the farmer, " what's the 

 matter with those steers ? Are they not as large and in as good condition and 

 form as the others?" " Well, yes ; but they are Holsteins, and when I get to 

 market with them the buyers there will cut the price on them, so if you can not 

 cut them out I can not buy them except you take off $1.00 per head on the 

 bunch." "The cat is out of the bag." The farmer takes off $1.00 per head, 

 cusses the Holsteins up one side and down the other, tells his neighbor if it 

 hadn't been for Holsteins in his lot of cattle, he would have sold for one dollar 

 more on the head. The buyer drives the cattle to his feed lot, very much grati- 

 fied at the shrewd trick he has played, weighs up the cattle to see what price 

 per cwt. they have cost him, and in so doing, he weighs the black-and-whites 

 separately, puts them all in together and feeds for the market. When he ships 

 out he again weighs up to ascertain what gain in weight his cattle have made. 

 Again he weighs the Holsteins separately and finds that they have gained more 

 pounds per head than any cattle in the lot. Do the market buyers cut the price 

 on his cattle on account of the Holsteins? Well, they may try the same shrewd 

 scheme that he made work so well on the farmer, but the cattle feeder has been 

 to market with cattle before this time and he knows the game too well to let 

 them play him for a " sucker." He knows there is no material difference in the 

 cattle, one is as fat as the other and will dress as much per cwt., live weight, so 

 he declines. The cattle are sold, the hides taken off, and no man on earth can 

 tell which is the Holstein or which is the Shorthorn beef. I have fed cattle for 

 the market and have bought and sold cattle of beef breeds, and am competent 

 to at least judge within a narrow margin of the difference in the value of two 

 beef animals if placed side by side. Some time since I shipped a carload of 

 Holsteins from Kansas into Missouri, and while waiting reshipment in the Kan- 

 sas City yards, I had the pleasure of meeting a cattle feeder from Eastern Kan- 

 sas. He was shipping to the Chicago market three cars of four-year-old cattle, 

 every one of which was fully matured and weighed an average of over 1,700 Ibs. 

 This gentleman told me that he had bought this lot of cattle when they were 

 two years old, hence he had owned them for two years. They had been pas- 

 tured and fed together ; he had weighed them at intervals during the time he 



