The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1880-02-07

When practical business man becomes con-
vlnced that the larger profit can be made by
dealing in q certain line of goods, he Is very
sure to direct his attention chiefly to that line.
If this is good policy in the merchant it is
equally sound for the farmer. Cattle being
one of the principal sources of the farmers
wealth, that class which proves most profitable
TO him is the kind he should keep. This wise
business maxim, however, does not exert as
strong an influence on the agricultural class
as o class, as the facts seem to warrant. While
there is n great improvement going on in live
stock, and the shOrthOrn Is superSeding the
old-tlme scrub to certain extent, yet there are
still vastly too many of the latter annually
raised for the best results to be achieved by
the majority of farmers. In order to more full
ly illustrate the point we mean to make we re-
produce the following paragraph from New
York paper:
While the weight of shorthorn grades for
shipment from this port averages about twice
that of Texans shipped from Indlanoa to Gu
ba, the former sell for more than five times the
price of the latter, owing mainly to their SUI
perior quality, though considerably, Of course,
to the superior advantages of this place as 4
Shipping point. The great difference in price
between beasts of different beef qualities should
stimulate our farmers and stockmen to still
further improvements to their herds.
Here is statistical evidence taken from &C
tual sales IN Europe, showing that cattle of
improved breeds not only weigh twice as much
from feeding the same length of time, but in
addition to this advantage, sell for five times
as much as the scrubs. Or, in plain English,
the average value of the improved animal Is
five times that of the scrub. Or, the same guam
tity of hay, grain and grass, fed to shorhorn,
becomes five times more valuable than when
consumed by the common Texas, or any other
rough, scrub breed. In the face of these facts,
tens of thousands of these costly runts of cattle
are raised every year, whose places should be
filed by improved breeds. Especially Is this
the fact IN older settled parts of the country
where habit and u certain grade of stock have
taken possession of the farmer and the farm
This thing is more the result of an error OF
judgmentthan design. A false notion of econo
my possesses the majority of farmers who con
tinue to breed from males that are of the com.
mon stock, or al least have but a dash of i'm
proved blood in their veins, because their ser
vice is cheaper or almost gratituous. They dc
not seem 10 understand that the service of such
an animal is a positive loss TO them, and the
gratuIty Is much dearer than a calf out of a
Thoroughbred animal, even though costing
several dollars At year old the calf from
the improved bull will be worth double as
much as the calf of the scrub, and at two year.
old the chances are that the grade calf will
sell for three or four times as much as his
base-bOrn rival.
The above is taken from an article in late
number of the Kansas Fdrner. II does moi
put the case too strongly, for while there ha:
been great improvement in some localities anC
isolated instances, poor stock Is the rule, tax
ing the country at large. A visit to the STOCK
yards here at any time will Salty those who
are skeptical on this point of the truth of tn,