The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-06-27

ly two years ago so that the illustration
selected is very favorable to the general
system of cattle-feeding, even among the
most intelligent and most advanced OF
American farmers. Mr.. Gillet -ears be-
tween 400 and 500 calves every year
from Short-horn bulls and high grade
cows, each calf being allowed to follow
its dam; and thus, when weaned,, or
turned into the STRIKES sta'''
Gas broad Scot would say,
the calf is usually as high in
condition as it is desirable that calf
should be-. But after that, instead of an
endeayor being made to retain the calf
beef, and to slowly and gradually add
to it, that animal has to be contented
with very seanty living till it is APP
preaching three years old, In good
grass season the summer food may be
abundant, but in winter the forage is
very scarce, and, indeed, the animals
have sometimes, as already stated, to
serape their daily pittance from beneath
a covering of snow. In the autumn of
their third year Mr.. Gillet's steers are
turned on to full rations as feeding cat
tie, and for 10 or II months are fed very
literally with Indian corn, which is
given them in the open field, asit grew,
in winter, and in the ear in troughs in
simmer. They take on flesh speedily
while they are thus treated, especially
during the summer months; and when
they are shipped to the beef markets of
Chicago or New York in the months Of
August, September or October, they are
indeed very handsome lot of beef cat
tie, weighing from /, 200 to 300 pounds
live weight. a aa ta+s
| "What is there then in this system of
| feeding that damages the quality of
| beefo The cattle are begun well and
finished we'll; but in the interval of
nearly two years duration, between
their weaving and the autumn of their
third year, they are neglected, or at
least left to shift for themselves. Each
of the two winters in this interval wears
away a considerable portion of the fat
laid on during the previous summer,
leaving on the frame of the animal a
| quantity of strong, dry, shriveled up,
| ill-mixed flesh, which remains there
and greatly reduces the value of the car
cass. A few of the American farmers
with whom [ discussed the subject ar
! gued that to; endeavor to lay flesh and
/ fat upon an animal before it has reach
ed its maximum growth, or nearly SO, is
/ perfectly useless, in fact decided mis-
take.4 for they held that the feeding
stints the growth Of the animal, and i'm
pairs its constitution. u Ideas like these
are also occasionally expressed among
British farmers, but that they are i'll
founded there is not the slightest doubt
Unquestionablya excessive feeding in
youth both endangers the constitution
and hinders the growth Of an animal, but
moderate and steady feeding does Meth
er. On the contrary,it aecelerates the
growth of the animal, and increases the
/ quantity and improves the quality of its
beef. All animals can not stand the
same amount of pressing with food !;
their constitutions must be watched,
and the food applied accordingly. Iii
+" Another wrong impression seems to
have footing among American farm
ers, and that is that fat cattle ought to
be valued and graded by weight more
than by any other characteristic. Their
chief ambition seems to be to bring
heavy cattle into market, irrespective
of their quality. It is very much easier,
/ as rule, to obtain good quality in a
moderate-sized animal than in an excep-
tionally large one and before American
beef can claim quality with British beef
lay aside their idea that weight is the
all-important point, and recognize that
1 quality is of more moment than size.''