VOL. XLVII. NO, 2021. NEW YORK, OCTOBER 20, 1888, 
PRICE FIVE CENTS. 
$2.00 PER YEAR. 
r[Entered According to Act of Congress,'in the Year 18S8, by the Rural New-Yorker, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.] 
JERSEYS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 
In the year 1875 the University purchased 
several head of fine Jersey cattle from the 
herd of T. H. Fales, of New York City. The 
bull was an exceptionally fine animal, and, 
after being; sold from the University farm, was 
shipped West. Tuberculosis soon developed in 
the herd,and all the animals were gotten rid of. 
About three years after some very good grade 
Jerseys were purchased from Wm. Burnham, 
of Groton, N. Y., and later, Mr. Lawson Val¬ 
entine presented to the University the fine bull 
“ Cornell Valentine.” He is a grandson of Eu- 
rotus, out of double gold medal bull “ Rama- 
po.” Later a thoroughbred cow was purchased, 
and the herd now numbers six mature ani¬ 
mals. 
“Cornell Valentine” is shown at the ex¬ 
treme right of the picture—Fig. 350. The 
three cows at the left are grades; the second 
, from the left has apparently been dehorned. 
We are glad to see our experiment stations 
experimenting with grades. The J ersey grade 
of good parentage is as valuable for dairy 
purposes as the pure blood animal, and costs 
much less to produce. 
The Jersey grade is the farmer’s dairy ani¬ 
mal. Her merits ought to be made public at 
all places where farmers are supposed to re¬ 
ceive instruction. 
It we are to breed J ersey grades at all we 
should breed only those from good sires. 
FEEDING STEERS FOR BEEF. 
Does it pay farmers to feed steers? Reports 
from various States ; generally considered 
unprofitable in the Eastern States ; con¬ 
ditions under which the business will pay; 
the dressed-beef monopoly killing a form¬ 
erly profitable business; Western methods ; 
a topic of great importance to farmers. 
STEER FEEDING IN N. Y. STATE. 
The business of raising steers in New York 
for beef is no longer profitable. The fresh- 
meat monopoly, connected with the stock- 
yards of Chicago, has broken down stall- 
feeding in New York. The butchers in the 
various local markets helped to bring this 
ruin upon the business, by refusing to pur¬ 
chase the home-grown and fattened beeves; 
because they could get the Texas and Ranch 
meat a little cheaper. By this short-sighted 
greed, a business the farmer and the farms 
needed, was destroyed and not five per cent of 
beef stall-feeding is maintained. The last 
heavy cattle I fed, barely paid for themselves, 
leaving no gain but the manure. They were 
fattened in warm weather and mainly on 
turnips, or there would have been a loss. 
Those fed all winter, the year before, ran me 
in debt—from $25 to $50 each, not estimating 
the manure—no man can now raise steers, 
till they are three years old, and then fatten 
them without loss. 
Hay and grain are out of proportion with 
the prices of the second or third rate beef 
people eat now-a-days brought into the state 
in the refrigerator cars. The whole business 
is said to .be in the hands of four men, the 
“Big 4,” who will crush out any farmer, 
butcher, or other man who gets in the way of 
the monoploy which runs its trains, like huge 
snakes into almost every town. Storehouses 
are everywhere, and the fangs of this mo¬ 
nopoly have withered individual enterprise 
and stricken with death an important in¬ 
dustry. 
The only foundation for beef-making in the 
present, or in the future, is in the growing of 
lighter beeves , and turning them off to the 
country butchers, who sell to the farmers and 
in the hamlets where the “Big 4” have not 
yet reached. 
The refrigerator meat will not bear the 
carting about and the exposure necessary to 
the country trade. This one fact, it is to be 
hoped, Providence will preserve for our bene¬ 
fit. The back towns may yet grow young cattle 
for beef, to be turned off, when no more than 
two yea r s old, and driven forward to other 
towns, where forage is more salable and com¬ 
mands a higher price. 
Shorthorn and Hereford blood are the best 
adapted for beef making, and in order to 
make this business pay, the best males of these 
breeds should be introduced into localities 
adapted to rearing cattle and the business 
gone into with all of the conditions and sur¬ 
roundings which would tend to advance the 
industry. The native cows can be used for 
dairies and the milk turned to the best account. 
The making of butter and the rearing of cat¬ 
tle can be made a joint business, and with the 
purchase of bran and linseed meal for the 
calves, with clover and good care they may 
be pushed forward with a good growth. The 
sooner farmers recover from the stunning ef¬ 
fects of the beef monopoly and start in from 
this stand point the better. Farmers are slow 
to adjust their conditions to new circumstan¬ 
ces and set-backs, I am glad the Rural has 
started inquiry in this direction of steer grow¬ 
ing, and I am pleased with the opportunity 
to offer suggestions. f. d. curtis 
FROM>ROF. I. P. ROBERTS. 
We have fed steers but one winter since I 
have been connected with the University 
At that time we picked them up of our neigh¬ 
bors, wherever we could find them. Breed; 
—Shorthorn grades. Color;—roan preferable. 
Shape;—small head, slim neck well cut up in 
the throat, prominent brisket, floor of chest 
broad, full crops, level top and bottom lines, 
broad loins, hips not ragged, long hind quar¬ 
ters, twist and flank well let down; age two 
and three years old past; size from 800 to 900 
pounds, for the reason that young animals of 
moderate weight will gain more in propor¬ 
tion to food than others with reference to 
shape, size etc, It paid us to buy grain above 
what we raised; we got a profit on the grain 
fed and had a large amount of valuable man¬ 
ure. We fed about six months. We found 
it best not to feed too rapidly; especially at 
first. It is very desirable to have warm sta¬ 
bles, I should consider a gain of one and 
one-half to two pounds per day per thousand 
pounds live weight a fair gain with animals 
not above two and a half years old. We 
sold late in the spring in our local markets. 
There is always a profit in holding a well 
fattened animal for a good market. Should 
always expect to sell, however, before turn¬ 
ing out to grass. 
G-ROUP OF JERSEYS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 
Fig. 350. 
