The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-30
Good Cattle ON Small Farms.


The question whether small farmers can
afford to keep thoroughbred stock is being
discussed in the National LiUe Stock Journal.
A "Drover" of the Union Stock Yards, Chi
cage, in a communication to that paper gives
it as his opinion that they can afford to keen
only good stock. He does not advise such
farmers to buy thoroughbred cows and attempt
to raise full-bloods for beef; but o get good
short-horn bull and the best native cows they
can obtain. The farmer can make steers of
the bull calves, and sell them for beef. and
the best of the females he can reserve for
breeding purposes; and as they come to suffi.
Gent age he can work off the old COWS to
make room for the grade heifers, aud their
female calves he can raise to take their places,
and so on, always using thoroughbred bull
and females as near thoroughbred as he can
get them, and in few years he will have
herd of cows which will bring him an annual
crop of calves which for beef purposes will
possess all the excellencies of the thorough
bred. He says:
IT handle good deal of stock, and nv
business takes me in different parts of the
country, and in contact with farmers all the
time, and am astonished at the lack of cor
rect information on the advantage of good
stock over poor which prevails among the
well-to- do farmers, who on all other subjects
are well-informed and wide-awake. l have
bred cattle and grazed them, though in breed
ing I never got SO far along as to make a
special business of raising thoroughbreds to
sell to others for breeding purposes. But
when it comes to a matter of cattle for beef
think 1 know my business and what am
talking about. When ] was grazing, would
give more per pound for good grade, short
horn steer or calf than for common one
land l noticed they always weighed more,
too, at the same age), because 1 could fit
them for market earlier, because could put
on more pounds of beef to an acre of pastul-
age. and because l could always sell it for
more per pound.
Now, as cattle-buYer, will give more
for the same class of stock than will for
common stock, because l can always find
ready market for it, and can realize the best
prices, and because l find there is less risk in
it. When the market is overstocked, when
buyers from the East are few, and holding
of, prices dropping and drovers blue, notice
it is always inferior and common stock which
feels the depression most, and to the greatest
extent. l have noticed that when l had
several lots of common beeves in the market,
/ had to accept very marked concession in
prices in order to secure customer, while
around lot of high grades in an adjoining
pen the buyers would swarm in troops, each
one eager and anxious to buy at full rates.
Anu Wucu pIlCcS nave uiOE pcu3 Lave uO-
ticed that cent on common stock was not
followed by more than half cent on high
grades, and when prices advance the best
stock always feels the advance the earliest.
For this reason prefer to handle this kind
OF stock to common stock, and always expect
to pay more per pound for it, and can make
money by doing it. 1t is with this. as with
everything else, there is always strong,
healthy demand, more buyers tnan sellers
for choice article than for common one
and the farmer will make the most money
who endeavors to supply the best.
Another thing have noticed, and have
handled great many cattle, and this is, that
high grades become good mature beeves, and
can command full prices in market at an
earlier age, than common bullocks, and when
was running farm, considered this as
great advantage. There is no question about
their maturing earlier, about their fattening
more readily, and about their selling for
higher price,"