The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-12-24
TESTING BEEF BR EEDS,

Satisfactory and Reliable Results.
The leading meat-producing breeds
of cattle that have been developed in
Great Britain have been in this coun-
try many years, and the superiority OF
either OF them over the scrub or So
called ''native" stock of most of the
States has been acknowledged by feed
ers, butchers and consumers. Still
the majority of farmers are in doubt in
relation to the relative merits of the
different breeds. They all desire to
keep cattle of the breed that natures
the earliest produces the greatest
| weight tor the amount of food con-
sumed, and furnishes the finest meat
with the least waste. The breeders of
short-horn, Hereford, polled Angus,
Suffolk and Devon cattle have claimed
every point of merit for the breed they
are interested in. Many of them are
doubtlessly honest in extolllng the
breed they keep over all others 1t is
as natural that a man should prefer the
cattle he keeps as that he should con-
| slider the members of his owp family
superior to the people of the neighbor-
hood where he lives. A careful and
painstaking breeder ordinarily has a
strong attachment for the animals he
raises. Fancy has much to do in caus-
ing a man to select particular breed
of animals, and an old adage runs:
''There is no accounting for Uaste.''
The majority of persons in the
country who raise animals for beef are
as undecided in regard to the compar-
alive merits OF the different breeds as
they were before there were any dis
cussions respecting the matter The
few agricultural colleges in the coun-
try that perform any experiments in
cattle-feeding have not ventured to
test the merits of the different breeds,
probably for the reason that they fear
to give Offense to breeders. 1t was
generally believed that the establish
ment of livestock shows would do
much to determine which breed of cat
tie was the most profitable to raise for
beef. But the displays OF fine speci-
mems of the different breeds apparent
ly made it more difficult than ever to
decide which was the best. For this
reason it was urged that display of
live cattle was not sufficient to enable
persons to determine the comparative
merits of the different breeds. Accord
ingly specimens of different breeds of
the same age were slaughtered and
their meat inspected by experts in
order to determine which was the best.
But the block test did not decide the
controversy III relation TO superior
merit In few instances the micro
scope was used for examining the
dressed meat, and it was then sub
iected to the table test after il had
been roasted or broiled.
All the tests that have been made,
however, for determining the relative
value of the different breeds have not
resulted in convincing people that one
breed is greatly superior to the others.
Many contend that food exercises a
more important influence on the quail
ity of beef than the breed of the ami.
NAL. Prof. j. w. Sanborn, OF the Mis-
souri, Agricultural College, states, as
the result of numerous experiments
made by him, that the kind of food
and the manner in which it is pre-
pared exert a wonderful influence on
the quantity and quality of the flesh of
all kinds of animals. Two steers of
the same breed and of the same age
and size will furnish meat of very diff
ferent qualities if the food eaten by
each is dissimilar. The meat of one
may be beautifully marbled, while that
of the other will have all the fat de-
posted on the surface. He contends
that the comparative value of the diff
ferent breeds can only be determined
by subjecting several specimens Of
each to the same course of feeding dur
ing the entire period of their growth,
or at least from the time they are
weaned till they are slaughtered. A.
correct test of a breed can, in his opin-
ion, only be made when animals of
different breeds are supplied with the
same kinds of food.
The experiment, however fairly con-
Quoted, will not definitely determine
the comparative merits of the different
breeds for various sections of the coun-
try. 1t may conclusively show which
breed is the most profitable to keep in
Central Missouri and other sections of
the country where the climate and pro-
lection are similar. At the latitude
named the winters are not severe,
bluegrass abounds, timothy and
clover are used for hay, and corn is
fed to cattle intended for
slaughter. The breed shown to be the
best for this section of the country
may not be the best breed for the ex1
treme South, where the grazing IS
poor, where no clover is grown, and
where corn is too scarce to use for fat
tening cattle. Neither will it show
which is the best breed of cattle for the
range and ranch where animals have
no protection during the winter, where,
no grass is converted into hay, and
where there is no grains to feed. One
fact, however, is all that.
should be expected as the result Of
any experiment. Other experiments
Fan be tried with view 20 determin-i
ng the best breed of cattle for The cat
States and the great
plainA Chicago Times