Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-07-28

eating, but to supply it with enough Of
such food as it relishes. If it wants
meat we ought to be prepared to furnish
it, and for its benefit and our own profit
what we furnish should be of q superior
quality. We do not suppose that any
n thing has been more detrimental to
the live stock interests of this country
than the production of a poor grade Of
meats. In the first place the produce
ton of such meats is not profitable to
the producer. 1t had better be finally
understood by every farmer, that there
is no profit in scrub stock. If there is
any n who has never reached this
conclusion by actual and careful calcula-
ton, he will consult his own interests
by accepting the conclusions of those
who have carefully compared the
credits and debts of breeding and fat
tening what is popularity called scala
wag stock. In such operations the
ledger is always the heaviest on the
wrong side. And in the second place
an inferior product ome in compete
ton with that which is superior, and in
jures the producer of the latter. The
price which is paid for meats in
our retail markets is sufficient to in
sure the very best quality. Forty cents
a pound for sirloin and twenty five cents
a pound for round is about the average
Eastern price for meats. Surely these
prices ought to purchase the best. But
they do not. Tons of beef that is scarce
ly fit for consumption at all are sold at
these prices, and the only result that
can be expected is an underconsumption
of beef. 1t is a fact which finds demon
stration in every consumers experience,
that people become tired of the average
quality Of beef, and do not purchase it
to the extent that they would if it were
less hard on the teeth and more agreea-
BILE to the palate; and furthermore, q
family will eat double the quantity of q
good, sweet, tender, juicy roast when it
IS set before them, than they will eat of
n that is wretched in quality.
Thus we occupy a position of enmity
to our own interests by producing .
very large proportion of the meats in
our markets which are not worth what
are asked for them at retail, and which
actually lessen the consumption. With
an improvement in the quality of our
meats, the consumer in New York and
Boston would be content to pay tho
high prices which he is TO- compelled
to pay; and then if by the legal regula-
ton of u transportation monopoly,
we can obtain o reasonable share Of
those prices for our own labor, we shall
get on the proper basis of stock raising
and beef production. But such inn
provement is not nearly so urgently
called for by our domestic markets as It
is by foreign markets. The markets
of the world are open or must be opened
to our meat products. All that has ever
been done, or ever will be done, to close
European markets to any of these pro-
ducts was and must be the sheerest
nonsense and of only temporary effect.
Europe must obtain it's meat supplies
from the United States. 1t must eat our
meats or starve, sooner or later. Prac-
tically, therefore, these markets are
| open, and may be so considered in cal
culating the future Importance Of our
live stock interests. But the Europeans
know what good meat is, and if we ex-
pect to supply them at a profit we must
set our standard of excellence high. We
must supply quality if we expect sue
| CCSS LII q 1Ad4h OO WulCu AOl yCulS Au8
been filled with the products of scien-
tific breeding and fattening.
We have thus briefly shown that the
prospect of our live stock husbandry 10
not only naturally good, but exceeding
ly flatteringg, if we choose to avail our
selves of offered opportunities. We have
shown that We have the best of stock, q
good and growing demand for pro-
ducts, and have mentioned the prob
ability of a more equal division Of
profits between the producer and the
men who stand between him and the
consumer. But we must acknowledge
the fact that there is need of a change
in the methods adopted in the general
live stock husbandry of the country,
which will amount nearly to a revolu-
ton, before we can hope to consider
that part of farming, in all its branches,
even reasonably profitable. It is an UNI
questionable fact, taking the country az
a whole, that cattle are fed through the
winter at a positive loss. The we'll
known cause Of this is an imperfect sys-
of feeding and wretched care. We must
begin to make a study of the science Of
feeding, and apply it to practical life;
and we must furnish better care to our
animals in winter. When we do this,
uuo shall roo, tho full 1orit;mot 70 ,ovva,.do