GROWING AND FITTING CATTLE FOR EXHIBITION 325 



Management on returning from the fairs. — When fat 

 cattle have been returned from the fairs, the grain fed 

 should be reduced. The following are chief among the 

 benefits which come from such reduction: (i) The ten- 

 sion on the digestion is relaxed for a time; (2) the sys- 

 tem is cooled, as it were; (3) premature finish in the 

 animals is avoided; (4) more continuous and prolonged 

 increase is secured, and (5) it thus becomes possible 

 to have the animals reach the next show in proper bloom. 

 If the tension of the heavy feeding of grain is continued 

 throughout the year, unless when animals are to be 

 shown but once, the digestive and assimilative organs 

 weaken through overwork, and when this point is 

 reached, they are slow to recover, which means reduced 

 gains, and, in many cases, they never regain their former 

 vigor. When the carcass is in shape for the show ring, 

 it is firmer than it was at an earlier period. This in- 

 creased firmness is the outcome of feeding large quan- 

 tities of nutritious concentrates reasonably rich in car- 

 bon. This condition of the system which makes the 

 animals enjoy lower temperatures than they would under 

 ordinary feeding has, no doubt, given rise to the com- 

 mon phrase that the animals should be " cooled off," a 

 result that is brought about by slacking on the grain 

 food and increasing on the green food. The green food 

 brings increase of the juices in the flesh, and, in conse- 

 quence, the premature finish or ripening that would 

 otherwise result is warded off. This change in the sys- 

 tem makes continued increase possible as long as it may 

 be necessary to practice it. The system thus prepared 

 is ready when the time comes to undergo another forcing 

 period, which should be so timed that the animals may 

 be shown when in finest bloom. Should an animal be 

 overdone, when exhibited, it is virtually impossible, how- 

 ever managed, ever again to bring it into a really good 

 condition of bloom. 



The proper reducing of the food, the time that should 



