Sharp County record., 1878-08-09
FARM TOPICS.
Faulty Western Systems of Feeding.


tour last season (says the Country Gen
tleinan), criticises our common" cat
tie even more roughly than we think
they deserve, and rates our best Ameri-
can beef as by no means a superior ar
ticle. Mr.. NJ. admits, it will be seen,
that on this subject there is difference
of opinion on his own side of the At
lantic. We make the following extract,
not only to show the grounds on which
his criticism rests, but also because we
should be glad if it elicits a discussion
among our readers on the merits OF his
positions:
"The best quality of beef is raised
mostly in the States Of Illinois, Ken
lucky, Ohio, and Indiana, each OF the
neig ghboring States contributing small
quantity. Illinois undoubtedly takes
the lead in regard to the gross quantity
of filst-class beef it produces; but it
contains at the same time so many CON-
mon cattle, that, with respect to the
percentage of good beef to inferior,
kentucky stands fully as high. Ohio and
Indiana are pretty nearly on a level.
HIGH grades-second, third, and fourth
crosses between common COWS and I'M
proved bulls, mostly ShOrt-hornS-are
the producers of the prime beef OF
America, that which has been designat-
ed 'first-class;' and between these high
grades and the common cattle OF the
country there is large number Of cat
tie that have a sprinkling Of improved
blood in their veins, and that receive
better attention thanis general in Amer
lea. and that yield fair quality OF beef,
SLIGHTLY inferior to the beef of high
grades Cabout equal to third-rate British
beef but still not wholly unsuited for
export to Britain; while small pro-
portion of the common cattle, the very
finest of the common steers, yield beet
that might pass in an emergency.
Regarding the quality of the best
class of American beef there is q con-
siderable difference of opinion. Broth
er Jonathan tells us that it can't be
beat anywhere in the world; and even
on the Eastern side of the Atlantic there
are a few who maintain that it is quite
equal to the finest quality of beef the
British Isles have ever produced Not
withstanding all that has been said to
the contrary, my firm opinion is that
the best quality of American beef has
no comparison whatever with the best
quality of British beef. 1t must be
placed on level with second-class Brit
ish beef, but higher position it can not
claim. And my reasons for so thinking
are easily explained. To begin with,
the class of cattle which produce the
best quality of American beef are decld-
edly inferior in almost every point to
the best beef cattle OF Britain. Their
imme slate ancestors on the female side
were rough, coarse, big-bOned, muscu-
lar cattle, far from well suited for the
fI0enc;et; 81 TIE improved 5ires his HE'D
away these coarse points considerably
and engrafted many new qualities, still
they display remnants of the character
istics of the original breed (or rather
breeds) which seriously reduce the
quality of their beef. They are still too
big-bOned, too narrow along the top,
too flat on the rib, have too much mus
Gle, and are unsatisfactory both in touch
and quality. To be sure, every success
sive cross lessons the faults; but before
they can all be hidden several genera
tions must be built on the top Of that
now living. Supposing, however, that
the best class OF beef cattle in
America and Britain were equal
ly good in breeding and
general characteristics, the manner in
which cattle-eeding is carried on in
America would of itself leave that coun-
try far behind Britain in reg rd to the
quality of its hest class of beef. As pre-
viously stated, the finest quality, as well
as the maximum quantity, of beef can
be produced only by the animal being
fed unvaryinglv from its birth onwards
and while this principle is not observed
in Britain neary so generally as it ought
to be, it is barey recognized in America
at all. In Brittin cattle-feeding has be-
come a science in America it is work
that may be executed in the most con-
venient haphanrd manner. The tenn
perature and constitution of the animal
receive no attention from the American
farmer, neitherdoes he take any heed
whether or not lis animals are supplied
with food containing in proper proper .
tiOns the commodities which form, flesh,
fat, bone, and muscle. When he wishes
to fatten his cattle, he scatters in the
field among then an abundance of In
dian corn and q seasoning of salt, and
leaves the rest of the fattening process
to the animals themselves and to nature.
1t is the misfortune of the American
farmer that nature has done so much
for him; but kline though it be, it does
not satisfactorily accomplish all that is
left to it in the eeding of cattle. It
i IL