PART 11. 

 BREEDING BEEF CATTLE FOR THE MARKET 



CHAPTER XXII. 



BREEDING FOR BEEF 



The percentage of the total number of farmers in the 

 United States who are specialists has never been deter- 

 mined, and while there is undoubtedly a tendency toward 

 increasing this percentage, it is still sufficiently small 

 to call for comment. Excepting those, of course, who 

 are making a specialty of producing feeding cattle, there 

 are very few specialists who breed beef calves. But 

 among the so-called general farmers there are very few 

 indeed, who do not breed a few calves each year, which, 

 if not fattened for market or home consumption by the 

 producer, ultimately find their way into the hands of 

 cattle feeders who make a business of fattening or fin- 

 ishing cattle for the market. 



If the question were asked, "How general is the in- 

 terest in breeding beef cattle throughout the United 

 States?" the answer would be unhesitatingly that in- 

 terest in this subject is confined to the West and South- 

 west. More thoughtful consideration of the subject 

 will, however, reveal some interesting facts. 



Cattle from the range country are a conspicuous fac- 

 tor in our fat cattle and feeding cattle markets; so much 

 so, indeed, that there is some danger of the native sup- 

 plies being overlooked. The multitude of men who 

 produce a few head each furnish a supply, which, in the 

 aggregate, form a very considerable factor in our leading 



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