■jd THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



not exceeding i8 months, and frequently at a younger 

 age to avoid the increase in the direction of dairy form 

 that comes later. 



Calves from the straight dairy types are not equally 

 adapted to furnishing baby beef. Lowest in adaptation 

 probably are the Jersey and Guernsey types, as they 

 show more of relative lightness in the hips and thighs. 

 When grown for meat, they are frequently marketed 

 under the age of one year. The Ayrshires may be car- 

 ried somewhat longer, and the Holsteins even longer 

 than the Ayrshires. The Holsteins show capacity for 

 much growth, and when forced quickly do not show pro- 

 nounced dairy tendencies in form until beyond the age 

 of, say, 15 months. 



Reared on dams or hand-fed. — Calves grown for 

 baby beef are reared on their dams or hand-fed. Each 

 system has its proper place, and each has its advan- 

 tages and its disadvantages. The highest quality of beef is 

 obtained from calves reared on their dams, but this does 

 not certainl_y imph^ that the highest profits will accrue 

 from this method of growing them. 



When reared on their dams, it is important that the 

 dams shall be well chosen, as some dams do not milk 

 freely enough to sustain rapid growth in the calves that 

 nurse them. It would not be profitable to introduce 

 nurse cows to supplement the milk given by the dams. 

 The latter should be chosen with a view to their milk- 

 gi\'ing qualities, as well as to their beef form. Such 

 dams can most readily be found as Shorthorn grades, 

 l)ecause of the extent to which these preponderate, and 

 because of the generally acknowledged better milking 

 qualities of Shorthorn grades as compared with grades 

 of the other beef breeds. Experience has also shown 

 that when these are mated with Aberdeen-Angus or 

 Hereford bulls, particularly the former, they have even 

 higher adaptation for producing beef of high quality 

 than when they are the progeny of Shorthorn sires. 



