CHOICE FEEDERS 25 



we do not want that refinement carried to the point of 

 delicacy. Too much refinement means delicacy or a 

 lack of constitution, and no animal lacking in constitu- 

 tion should find its way into the feed lot. 



In the interest of uniformity in the finished product 

 it should be observed that high-grade Herefords can 

 usually be put on the market in the fewest number of 

 days of full feed but suffer most from carrying beyond 

 the point of ripeness; that Shorthorns and Aberdeen- 

 Angus grades, while a little slower to mature, are in 

 fully as strong demand in the market as are grade Here- 

 fords; and that Aberdeen- Angus and Galloways may 

 be carried longer on full feed than other breeds of beef 

 cattle without indications of bunches or rolls of fat, 

 which are so strongly discriminated against in our mar- 

 kets. 



After all that may be said, however, as to breed, 

 the important consideration is to see that the steer 

 should be a high grade of some one of the beef breeds 

 and that the selection of the individual should receive 

 more attention than the selection of the breed. 



The question of age should not be overlooked. A 

 thrifty young steer of good weight and in good flesh is 

 to be preferred to an older, stunted steer. It should be 

 said, however, that a stunted steer of any age or weight 

 is a profit spoiler in the feed lot. Uniformity in color 

 of feeders is desirable, but the mistake should not be 

 made of getting uniformity in color at the expense of 

 more important characteristics. It is possible to secure 

 good colors, reds and blacks, in steers of very poor 

 quality and containing very little beef blood. If it is a 

 question of choosing between a combination of good 

 quality and correct conformation, and good colors — 

 take the quality and conformation, and let some other 

 party have the colors. The writer has sometimes thought 

 that it is a disadvantage rather than otherwise that 

 most registered beef bulls are so prepotent in transmit- 

 ting their color markings. A one-eighth blood Here- 



