OUT-DOOE FEEDING. 291 



sufficiently large scale. It would not involve very much 

 labor to note these facts in Mr. Gr.'s feeding, and, when 

 accurately noted, would become important scientific data. 

 These fat-stock shows have been most pertinent illus- 

 trations of the principles we have discussed. They demon- 

 strated most completely that profitable feeding must not 

 extend beyond three years, and that the greatest profit will 

 find a limit at 20 to 24 months. This simple lesson, taught 

 in such a practical, eye-opening way, was alone sufficient 

 doubly to compensate for all the expense of the show. 

 The tenacity with which old opinions and traditional prac- 

 tices are held and followed by the mass of farmers, is 

 proverbial. They have seen their fathers, and heard of 

 grandfathers and great-grandfathers, feeding steers till four 

 and five years old for beef, and they look with suspicion 

 upon any shorter cut to market. And with this four-year 

 system has grown up the starving or half-feeding period, 

 which still further reduces the profit ; for, when making 

 no progress, beef animals pay nothing for the food they 

 eat. If the four to five-year system were one of consta-nt, 

 liberal feeding, producing an average of 2,000 to 2,400 

 pounds' weight, and this the best quality of meat, the loss 

 would be comparatively small to that of the periodically 

 suspended growth system, which produces a weight of only 

 1,300 to 1,600 Ibs. in the same time the one might excite 

 the pride of the feeder, if it brought no profits, but the 

 other would bring both mortification and loss. These con- 

 tests for prizes in the fat-stock show ring will constantly 

 point the feeder to the true economical system of growing 

 beef; and these exhibitions will be such an unanswerable 

 demonstration of the right way, that the old system will 

 soon have no place, except in history. The farmer cannot 

 see the force of an argument for a change, unless backed 

 by numerous examples. 



