292 CATTLE 



dresses out a high per cent of carcass to offal, the meat is fine of 

 grain or texture, the fat is distributed throughout the lean so as to 

 show most desirable marbling, the color is usually a bright red, 

 while the quality is unsurpassed. Without question the American 

 butcher in a discriminating market pays the top price for Aberdeen- 

 Angus cattle. Well fattened, a two-year-old steer of the breed may 

 be expected to dress out 65 per cent carcass to offal, or better. 



The crossbred or grade Aberdeen-Angus bullock has long been 

 regarded with especial favor by feeders and butchers. Robert 

 Bruce, a well-known British authority, in commenting ^ on cross- 

 ing the Aberdeen-Angus and Shorthorn, states that this cross 

 is highly valued by northern breeders, and the large number of 

 farmers in England and Ireland who have resorted to this cross 

 proves pretty clearly the general appreciation of the many good 

 qualities belonging to the blend. Where ordinary judgment is 

 exercised in the selection of sires and dams, the excellence of 

 the produce is at once assured, as the blending of the Shorthorn 

 and Aberdeen-Angus blood results not only in a superior butchers' 

 animal but also in a quick-feeding and rent-paying one. A 

 glance at the records of the great fat-stock shows at once indi- 

 cates the important position taken by these Shorthorn-Aberdeen- 

 Angus crosses in the annual prize-award lists. There has been 

 a widespread demand for Aberdeen-Angus bulls for crossing pur- 

 poses all over the north of Scotland, and this system of cross- 

 ing has also made its way into other portions of the kingdom. 

 In my opinion it is immaterial how the cross is brought in — 

 whether through the Shorthorn sire on the Polled cow or the 

 Polled bull and the Shorthorn cow. Circumstances and situation 

 may alone be left to guide the breeder in the selection of the 

 sire to use. A mating of Aberdeen-Angus to white Shorthorn 

 produces a blue-gray animal that for many years has been a 

 prime favorite on the British market. In America such cross- 

 breds are not so common. At the Smithfield Fat-Stock Show in 

 Elngland, from 1900 to 19 16 inclusive, in the competition among 

 crossbreds, the several combinations of Aberdeen-Angus and 

 Shorthorn blood virtually won all championships and reserve 

 championships. On the Western range the Aberdeen-Angus has 

 ^ Macdonald and Sinclair, History of Aberdeen-Angus Cattle. 



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