BEEF FROM SCRUB OR PURE BLOOD! 
DOES PEDIGREE HELP THE FEEDER ? 
Review of a Feeding Experiment in Kansas. 
The following facts are taken from Bulletin 51 of 
the Kansas Experiment Station. Kansas is a great 
cattle State. Vast quantities of beef are shipped to 
the great slaughter houses. Of course the question 
of improved blood enters into the calculation of all 
thoughtful feeders. Advocates of Hereford, Short¬ 
horn or the Black Scotch breeds claim, of course, that 
steers containing the blood of these breeds will not 
only give extra returns for the food consumed, but 
also give a carcass with a greater proportion of the 
tions of feeding and care. It was found impossible 
to obtain Hereford or Black Scotch steers at anything 
like reasonable rates. Short-horns, too, were hard to 
obtain, and finally cost $40 each, while the “scrubs ” 
were bought at $16 ! The Short-horns were all pedi¬ 
greed stock, and were graded as average feeders. No 
one knew where the “scrubs” came from. One 
showed possible trace of Short-horn blood, while 
another slightly resembled a Jersey ; but on the 
whole, they weie “ scrubby ” enough to contrast with 
the pure-bloods. They averaged much smaller than 
the Short-horns to start with. 
The experiment began in May, 1893. The 12 steers 
were put together in a hilly prairie pasture, which 
proved anew that “ like begets like,” and was a back- 
handed compliment to the Short-horns. The very 
points of their carcass that made them superior to the 
“scrubs,” unfitted the Short-horns to compete in a 
walking match. Their improvement as beef cattle rep¬ 
resented improved care and food, and if both “ scrub ” 
and pure blood had been put on strong, rich pasture,the 
latter would have won. As it was, the “ scrub ” had 
all the advantage. 
After leaving this pasture, the steers were put in 
an open yard with sheds for shelter. The two lots 
were divided by a wire fence, so that their food could 
be weighed separately. The food consisted of corn, 
corn stalks and coarse hay. 
-T 1 . 
A “SCRUB” STEER. Fig. 20S. A “SCRUB” STEER. Fio. 204. 
TYPICAL STEERS FED AT THE KANSAS EXPERIMENT STATION. 
meat packed on the choicer parts like the loin and 
ribs. If this be not so, then the whole theory of 
breeding is at fault, for these beef breeds represent 
many years’ selection of animals which possess 
superior shape, size and powers of assimilation. That 
is all there is to a breed. 
In spite of the evident superiority of pure-blooded 
cattle, a large proportion of the cattle raised and 
fattened in Kansas, are classed as “scrubs,” or ani¬ 
mals that give no evidence of improved breeding. 
Prof. Georgeson used the word “scrub” to indicate 
the absence of improvement in breeding on the line 
of any of the recognized beef breeds. In order to 
give this matter of “ blood ” a fair test, Prof. G. se¬ 
lected six Short-horn steers and six “ scrubs,” and 
proceeded to fit them for market under similar condi- 
furnished but moderate feed. The first difference 
between scrub and pure blood was noticed at once. 
The “ scrubs” were used to such pasture—they knew 
nothing else—and at once made themselves at home. 
The Short-liorns had come from a rich clover and 
tame-grass pasture. For the first time in their lives, 
they were put on a scanty diet, which required 
“ rustling ” and long walking to obtain. The result 
was that between May 25 and November 1 the 
“ scrubs ” made an average gain of 179 pounds, while 
the Short-horns averaged only 110 pounds. What did 
that mean? Simply that the “scrubs” had more 
“rustle” in their pedigree. In that dry pasture where 
they were forced to wander about to obtain food, 
their breeding was superior, because their ancestors 
for manyogenerations had done the same thing. It 
The following spring the steers were turned into 
the same pasture. The season of 1894 was very dry, 
and the gain made by the “scrubs” was far in ad¬ 
vance of that made by the Short-horns—as it was 
harder than ever to obtain needed food. The disad¬ 
vantage under which these Short-horns pastured, is 
shown by the fact that, up to the time they went on 
this short feed, they had averaged a daily gain of 1.63 
pounds, while through that first summer they aver¬ 
aged only three-quarters of a pound per day, or less 
than half as much. 
On November 1, 1894, the cattle were put in the 
open yards again, and fattened for market. On 
April 12, they were shipped to Kansas City, and 
graded by the regular cattle buyers. The Short-horns 
averaged 1,517 pounds live weight, while the “scrubs” 
