The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-02-02
FEEDING FOR QUALITY.
Practical Suggestions Concerning the Rear
ing of Beef Animals.

Practical Suggestions Concerning the Rear
ing of Beef Animals.
The beef that comes into the public
market is mainly of two classes. fat and
lean or good and bad, the latter class
being much the larger. The wealthy,
who always purchase what is known rs
prime cuts" can hardly realize the
| amount of skinned" beef that is sold
at low prices The prices realized for
the former are often two or three times
as much per pound rs those for the
latter. This has led feeders into the
habit of feeding for fat rather than for
flesh and quality.
How can breeding, rearing aud feed
ing be so managed as to give the con-
sumner beet that is neither surrounded
b. an inch or two of hard tallow. nor
composed of tough, skinny tibers? If
we can change the methods of breed
ing, rearing and feeding SO that they
will be not only practical but scientific.
we may soon have breeds that will
transmit tie tendency to become mus
cular or heshy without excessive fat
ness.
How shall this be done? First by
giving the young animals Il reasonable
| amount of exercise; that is. do not tic
calves in box-stalls till they are one
or two years old while feeding I'M
limited amounts of corn meal; nor on
the other hand, turn them out at two
or three months OF age to half starve
and suffer for long periods until they
are two or three years old; when ac-
cording to present methods, they are
| fattened by overlooking on rich car
| bonaceous foods withou. exercise. We
| can not wonder that animals, reared by
such methods as are now practiced.
have q small amount of muscular
development, thickly OVERHEAD with
adipose matter. If we are to improve
the quality, muscle must be developed
not oily by healthy exercise but by
iudicious feeding. Judicious feedin.
is that which produces continuous.
healthy. normal growth with FOODS
which have sufficient albuminous or
heterogeneous compounds to supply the
animal with the elements of which lean
meat is composed.
1t should be remembered that ami
mails can not transform heat and fat
| producing foods into lean meat; but
they can, if necessity requires, make
| some use of heterogeneous compounds
for the production of heat and fat. I
believe that animals reared and fed in
a low temperature, with an abundance
of rich carbonaceous foods. tend to lay
the fat on the surface; while animals
which are fed in warm, comfortable
quarters and on foods rich in albumi-
noids produce juicy, marbleized meat.
Profs. Henry and Sanborn have both
shown that the quality of pork may be
greatly changed and improved by ju-
dicious and intelligent feeding. With
out doubt beef and mutton may be i'm
proved in like manner by like feeding.
There is a ready market at high prices
for meat of a better quality. Every
winter prime early lambs sell readily in
the New York market for fifty cents
per pound.
How shall we induce breeders and
feeders to improve the quality of our
meats? By inducing the managers of
fat stock shows to offer their largest
prices for animals showing the best
quality Of meat rather than for animals
that show the greatest quantity of fat.
The best method of determining quality
may be somewhat difficult until some
experience is had. l suggest that the
animals competing for the prizes offered
for quality should be slaughtered. and
photographs and drawings be made of
cross-sections of the loins and hind
quarters. These cross sections might
then be cooked by an expert-without
trimming-and passed upon by a COM
mittee appointed from the proprie;ors
of leading hotels and restaurants, or
from their stewards or cooks. A State
ment of breeding. rearing. age and
feeding should accompany each entry.
!.