Pure-bred Cattle 113 



kept in high flesh but must be handled in such a manner 

 as to give the largest quantity of milk for their calves. The 

 calves, however, which are intended for sale, especially 

 the bulls, must be kept fat and growing from the very 

 day of their birth. The bulls are usually sold at about a 

 year to a year and a half of age, and when selling time 

 comes they must be fat and have plenty of weight for their 

 age, and this fat and weight can be obtained only through 

 the medium of liberal feeding. The feed that will pro- 

 duce a good steer will not make a satisfactory bull for two 

 reasons. First, the bull is restless and quarrelsome and 

 will not make as good use of scanty feed as a steer ; second, 

 the beef-producer will not buy a bull that is not finer 

 looking, fatter, and above all, bigger for age than the 

 steers which he has at home. It is said by some that the 

 poorly fed bull will be as good a breeder as the one that 

 has had better treatment. This may or may not be true, 

 but it is absolutely certain that a bull will not sell for his 

 true value if he does not have good weight for age and does 

 not have meat on his back. 



Calves born in the spring should be taught to eat grain 

 at least by late in the summer so that when weaned they 

 will be able to go on a ration of grain and hay without 

 any set-back. They should have all the grain they want 

 together with plenty of good hay through the first winter 

 and in fact until the time when they are sold, with a 

 possible exception of a short period during the second 

 spring when the grass is especially good. Most breeders 

 of pure-bred cattle prefer a fall to a spring calf. If the 

 cows are given reasonable shelter and good feed, they will 

 milk well all winter and the calves will thrive, and when 

 grass comes the calves are just at the age when the spring 

 calves would be weaned, but the fall calves do not have 



