8o THE MANAGEMENT AND FEEDING OF CATTLE 



111 growing baby beef it is not enough to secure 

 increase: the increase should be accompanied by a 

 high condition of flesh. Large gains may result from 

 rapid growth in the absence of a large amount of fleshi- 

 ness. The amount of fat called for during the process 

 of development increases with the earliness of the period 

 at which the animals are to be sent to the block. Calves 

 marketed at 6 to 12 months can scarcely be said to have 

 a finishing period, as they should be in high flesh all 

 the time. But in the care of those not to be marketed 

 until 18 to 22 months old, though in good flesh all the 

 while, the highest condition of flesh should be sought 

 during the closing months of feeding. In other words, 

 they are not to be fed so high when young as to lessen 

 development at a later period. 



The nature of the fodders. — The fodders fed must 

 be palatable and nutritious. Unless they are palatable 

 the consumption secured will not be enough. Unless 

 they are nutritious the requisite gains will not be forth- 

 coming. To secure both results they must be selected 

 with due care, or, what is better, grown with a special 

 view to the use to be made of them. Fodders perfectly 

 suitable for grown animals that are simply being car- 

 ried through the winter may be quite unsuited for mak- 

 ing baby beef, and the same may be true, but to a less 

 extent, of fodders suitable for animals of similar ages 

 that are being grown into meat. While a certain pro- 

 portion of fodder is necessary to secure the requisite dis- 

 tention in the digestive organs, such distention is not 

 required to the same degree as in animals of similar 

 ages to be matured, because of the relatively larger pro- 

 portion of the concentrates fed, and the earlier that the 

 calves grown for baby beef are marketed, the less is the 

 need for such distention. Calves marketed at six months 

 require but little fodder relatively, while those marketed 

 at 12 months will profit from a fair amount at similar 

 ages. 



