The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1888-06-23
WHEN ro SELL STOCK.


1h6t many arc uoavy SOsotv
BY keeping animals intended solely for
producing meat too long is certain.
All the reports Of our fat stock fairs
show that the gain in weight Of cattle
Is the greatest while they are young.
and the smallest after they have
reached maturity. They also show
that young animals will thrive and be-
come fat on cheaper food than old ones
will. Young cattle will take on flesh
and fat il they have no other food than
grass in tho hummer and hay in the
winter. Old cattle. however, must
have grain or they will not improve in
condition. Their appetite is not so
keen and their digestion is not as good
as when they were young. The like Is
true in respect to pigs. When young
they will cat almost any thing, and
will convert much Of it into flesh and
fat. As they advance in age they take
less exercise. have a less keen appe.
tite, and are more particular about
their food. Their digestion is not as
good. and as n consequence the food
they consume does not produce SO great
a gain in weight
Sheep raised chiefly for their flesh
should be prepared for market and dis.
posed of early. If they are raised
partly for their flesh and partly for
their wool there is ordinarily no gain
in keeping them over more than three
winters. 1t is difficult to feed an old
sheep so that it will afford good nut.
ton. 1t may be policy to keep good
breeding ewes as long as they will raise
lambs, but the profit in keeping them
will be in the lambs. as the mothers
will be likely to decrease in value after
they are four years old. The risk Of
keeping animals intended to furnish
meat beyond the time when t'ley a
be fitted for the market should be al.
ways taken into consideration. The
risks incident to disease are very large
in the care Of pigs, now that the swine
plague and hog cholera have become so
common and are so generally fatal. A
delay Of a few days in fattening and
selling a lot of pigs may result in the
loss Of all Of them. The risk in keep.
ing a lot of steers or sheep is not as
great. but it is considerable.
Farmers r generally anxious to
keep an animal till such time as it will
bring the highest price that can be oh.
tanned for it. They like to obtained a
large sun of money for m animal
raised on q place, and have the credit
Of obtaining it. There is some pleas.
ure in having a steer that weighs II ton
and in receiving the amount of money
it will bring in the market 1t should
be remembered, however, that the last
five hundred pounds added to itz
weight are generally obtained at a loss.
The grain consumed in producing II
was worth more than the feed, and
could have been sold for more money.
1t should also be remembered that
there is greater risk in keeping a very
heavy animal than one Of light or
medium weight. 1t is o liable to
injuries on the place where it is kept
or in the car in which it is transported.
A very heavy animal is ~defenseless,
and. if it receives a slight injury, Is
not likely to recover from it. 1t can
not be driven any considerable dis.
lance without suffering from fatigue oi
n loss in weight. 1t can not endure
extremes of heat and cold as we'll as u
smaller animal.
A few years ago there was quite an
induccmcnt held out to farmers to feed
steers till they weighed 1000 pounds
each and to keep a lot Of hogs till they
averaged 400 pounds. Tho highest
prices in all our markets were paid for
"extra hcavy-weights.' Such is not
now the case. A w~ell-fattened steer
weighing from 1900 to 1900 pounds
will bring as much per pound as one
weighing a ton. A few very heavy
steers are wanted by city butchers for
the Christmas trade. Their meat is
desired for maxi g u display and at.
tractivc to customers. For ordinary
trade, however, mcdium-sized animals
are preferred. They cut up to better
advantage, and the size Of the rotsts
and steaks are nearer what most Gus
toners desire. What is true of steers
is also true of hogs. At one time there
was a demand for specimens Of AMI
mated lard weighing from 400 to 600
pounds. Now that strictly pure kettle.
rendered hogs lard is made from beef
tallow and cotton-seed oil. there is no
occasion for making pigs very fat, and.
as mcdinm-sizcd hams and shoulders
are moro desirable than very large
ones, there is no reason for feeding
hogs till they are overgrown.
Quite likely baby beef and pig pork
are Improbable alike to the seller and
the buyer. but mature. well.ripcncd
meat can be produced without keeping
ANNA till they exhibit marks Of age.
Some kinds Of stock can DO sold when
very young Mt higher pr COS than they
will eve brin. aftcrward. Such is the
case with lambs that are dropped early
in tho season A lamb which Is Of
good size when the first green peas up.
pear IN the market can often b. sold
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