OHAPTEK XIV. 



Immaturity; or too Early Fatteningand Breeding. 



Inferior Quality and Food Value in Steers that are not 

 Matured. 



Many changes or alleged improvements in breeding and 

 fattening cattle have been made within the last twenty 

 years, changes in colors of Short-horns from white, and 

 roan to red ; then back to roan and white, for instance. 

 But the marked characteristic which has been accelerated 

 more in Short-horn cattle than in any other breed, is the 

 fat-forming tendency, which has been increased to such 

 a preponderating extent, that the muscular parts of these 

 cattle have been much reduced, the greatly augmented 

 quantity of fat having taken the place of much of their 

 muscular structure, the reduction of muscle making place 

 for the augmented proportion of fat. In fact, the natural 

 activity of many Short-horns has been so much reduced, 

 by restricted exercise, or confinement, that their natural 

 proportion of muscle has been wasted or reduced to as 

 much as 30 per cent less than the natural proportion that 

 regular daily activity, and on average pasture, would 

 maintain. This result has been produced, mainly, by 

 these cattle being supplied with rich feed in great abund- 

 ance, which has encouraged indolence and inactivity, 

 thereby wasting muscle by disuse. Huge results in fat are 

 attractive, but nutritive food-value is diminished to the 

 same extent that muscle is thus reduced. 



With the vast increase that is being made in numbers of 

 cattle, and other stock, questions of food-value and meat 



