EARLY MATURITY PROFITABLE 35 



breeders in th.e last forty years. One is 

 that their maturity has been secured at an 

 earlier age. A cow of today comes into 

 profitable production nine or twelve months 

 earlier than some years ago, and steers 

 are marketable at one and two years in- 

 stead of four or five. Think of the im- 

 mense saving to the farmer and cattleman ! 

 This valuable trait has been evolved by 

 the power of sires prepotent for early ma- 

 turity. The other fact, which must be men- 

 tioned, is that the evolution of the dairy 

 cow, by the judicious conservation of pre- 

 potent strains, gives dairjrmen a greater 

 profit on their investment and maintenance 

 than their predecessors enjoyed. The same 

 is true of cattle for beef. Today, cattlemen 

 use bulls one and two years old, where they 

 formerly used four or five year old bulls. 

 Careful breeding from early maturing an- 

 cestors brought about this early maturity. 

 It costs more to feed and keep a cow pro- 

 ducing 20 pounds of butter per week than 

 it does to feed a cow that yields 5 pounds ; 

 but, there is a larger ratio of profit to the 

 jdairyman in the 20-pound cow; and a cer- 



