The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-11-06

S~N""u ooilcS, page loZ, III an account
of cattle feeding in the shires of
Surrey and Sussex.
But thisproduct obtained the name
of "6ddy beef" and Boston cotem-
orary, from whom we copy, has
given a condensed statement from
the details of Mr.. Evershed's report,
a summary of eighteen steers and
heliers, grade Shorthorns, that had
been pred to early maturity. They
were killed at from eleven to eigh.
teen and a-half months old, the best
OF them reaching return of 81 IA
per week. Their weight was from
S4Cpounds to 1906 pounds, Some OF
the steers, sixteen months old, dress
ed 600 pounds to the quarter, and
earrisd 40 pannds Of reugh fat. Tbs
testimony Of the butchers was that
they were "full of fat, finely grained,
and of very superior favor," and
remarkably ripe, handsome car
casses of beef" One of the advan-
tages of handling this young beef is,
that it can be kept six months with
out any deterioration of quality. A
bullock rat at fifteen months can be
killed, or it can be kept nine months
for a better market, and continue
thriving and growing heavier.
Young bullock fattened from birth
never make meat quite so rapidly as
they do during the period from
fifteen months old TO something un
der two years indeed, they might be
kept over many markets and still be
kept gaining. A fat OK, on the other
hand, from three to four years old,
cannot be kept over without loss.
The system of early maturing beef
has reached such perfection in Eng
land and on the continent, and is
coming 80 much into favor, that the
steers oftae Devon, Herefords, Short
horn, and some local breeds. at a
little oyer two years old, make an
average of /, ,536 pounds, and give an
average gain of from 1.60 to 200
pounds per day.
In our country ut comparatively
little attention has been given to this
matter. Still, the reports of the fat
stock shows at Chicago for 1878 and
1879 give some facts of great interest
bearing upon the subject. From
these reports it appears that the av-
erage W eight of ten steers (whose age
was under two years. was 1866
pounds. and that they had made ar
average gain of nearly two pounds
per day. But this result was reached
only by means of the best feeding o.
the animals while yoa01g, and thus
American feeding confirms the best
English practice, that, under proper
conditions, profitable weight may be
obtained at two years of age, and
that young beef, in the words of Mr.
Evershed, aboye quoted, "need not
be unripe, that it need not shrink
unduly in cooking, and need not be
nutritious"
Some remarkable examples of the
early maturity of beef animals have
been given in the agricultural journ.
ais from time to time. The famous
steer ''Uncle Abe" fattensd in New
York, reached a weight of 1.61e
pounds at two years of age, and
could have been sold at profit any
time up to then but he was kept till
four years of age, at which time his
weight was $3.50 pounds. The feed
of this steer was milk of the dam
for the first three months, and after
ten days quart of meal or oats pei
days; second three months, meal
gradually increased to two quarts q
day, and thereafter the food increased
to meet the wants of the growing an.
imal. The Ellsworth Twins, "grown
in Illinois, weighed, together, at two
years of age, 3.3O5 pounds, gain o.
about one and a. half pounds day
The first summer they were fed or
sour milk, oil cake meal, and grass
and, after the first six months they
were fed upon hay, grass or corn in
the open air, and never stabbed. Mr.
f. w. Stewart. most intelligent
American stockman, says that ar
examination of the condition of feed
ing OF thirty mine animals in differ
ent countries seems to fix the stand.
ard of growth at two pounds per day
for the first two years, so that under
a good system of feeding it may be
safely calculated to reach an average
of ,450 pounds in two years.
The examples given above are
Western examples, and not such as
can be adopted, without conditions
as the standard for Eastern feeders.
But do not the facts show that the
growing Of early beef throughout the
North may be practiced with reas.
enable prospect Of profit? Our far