380 



Feeds and Feeding. 



degree to whicli it has been fattened; and 3, the breed or beef 

 character. This last point has already been noted. Let us con- 

 sider the other two conditions. 



In studying the effects of age we turn to the records of the 

 American Fat-Stock Show* for the year 1884, which show: 



SlaugMer test at the American Fat-Stock Show, Chicago. 



Here we find that three-year-old steers dressed 67 per cent, of 

 the shrunken live weight of the animal, while those under one year 

 gave only 60 per cent, of dressed carcass. The iniport^ance of 

 maturity on the returns of dressed carcass is here shown. 



The degree of fattening also determines the percentage of valu- 

 able parts. In fattening, the weight of the secondary parts of the 

 steer is not materially increased; for example, thp head, hide, 

 hoofe and viscera do not increase much in weight, while the car- 

 cass proper weighs more because of the large percentage of fat 

 added. Common steers but little fattened may yield no more than 

 fifty per cent, of live weight in carcass, dressing away one-half. 



579. Shrinkage due to shipping. — At the Kansas Station,* 

 Georgeson found that steers weighing 1,350 pounds shrank from 

 9 to 68 pounds per head, the average being 27 pounds, when 

 shipped from Manhattan to Kansas City, a distance of about one 

 hundred mUes. Steers weighing 1,550 pounds, shipped from the 

 Iowa Station^ to Chicago, about three hundred miles, shrunk 71.5 

 pounds. Steers shipped from the Ohio Station at Wooster* to 

 Pittsburg, about one hundred and fifty miles, weighed somewhat 

 more Monday, after watering, than at home Saturday before 

 watering. 



' Breeder's Gazette, Chicago, 1884, p. 824. » Bui. 89. » BuL 20. ■• Bui. GO. 



