Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-08-03
THE sHORTHORN BUSINESS.

THE sHORTH0RN BUSINESS.
The report of recent sales Of shorthorn.
as published in this paper, show pretty con
clusively that " the bottom is dropping out
of breeding fancy animals of this breed @
cattle for profit. 1t is not likely that a Short
horn will ever be sold for 1921, 900 in thi!
country again, or that a COW that has seer
her best days will bring $4,000 at an auc
ton sale. Even Shorthorn breeders are re
covering from their mania and are begin
ming to talk like rational persons.
There has been more humbug about the
Shorthorn business than in any thing il
which farmers were ever engaged. There
was never q domestic animal of any kline
worth $4,000 for any purpose, and it is no
likely that there ever will be one. Even ST..
000 is a very large price to pay for an ami
NAL which can only be used,for food. Still
many farmers have been persuaded into in.
vesting in a heifer, expecting to double Their
money with every calf raised from her., 4
The Shorthorn is an excellent animal. fol
beef, inasmuch as it natures quickly, while
its flesh is Of good quality and has a small
proportion of waste. That is the most and
the best that can be said of this breed of cat
tie. In England, the land of roast beef epi-
cures, the Shorthorn is not generally regard
ed as the animal which furnishes the most
delicious meat, but the preference is given
to the Herefords and the Highland cattle.
inns is the case, notwith standing the great
number OF persons who are interested in eX-
tolling the merits of Shorthorns as beef pro
ducers.
The Devon is the superior. of the Short
norm In respect to beauty and hardness.
The same is true of the Herefords and AYR
eshires. The latter are excellent mixers.
and their milk is very valuable for cheese
making. The S%horthorns. on the contrary.
are not generally large mixers, neithe1+is
their milk very rich. AS a rule the smallest
Jersey will produce more butter during the
year thar the largest Shorthorn, while it
will bring double the price per pound.
Ine Shorthorn has been bred both in this
country and in Great Britain almost entirely
with a view Of developing size, symmetry
and early maturity. The animals have been
pampered till they have no hardihood, and
need to be tended like sick babibes.. Many
of the fashionable families of Shorthorns
produce a smaller number of offspring than
fashionable families of human beings. In
instances their. numbers have dimin
ished rather than increased during a term Of
years. If a COW happened to have a calf the
event was noticed i'll all the papers, and the
young child was Immediately put out to wet
nurse. fol-. the reason that the mother didhot
give milk enough to support its life. Gem
orally its period of maturity would be in an
proportion to the length and purity
ofits pedigree. Promising Shorthorns, like
the children describe i'll Sunday school
books, and like those the gods love, die
Like every kind of business not strictly le-
Ultimate there has been a good deal of fraud
in its management. Thousands of dollars
have been paid in premiums by agricultural
associations for bulls that never sired a calf,
and for COWS that never gave a drop ofmilk.
show herds or barren animals
collected, which could be. done.