Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-06-05
AGRICULTURAL HINTS.
FANCY VS.. EXPERIENCE.
Extracts from a Paper Prepared by Rich
ard Gibson for the Dominion of Canada
ShOrt-HOrn Breeders Association.

Extracts from a Paper Prepared by Rich
ard Gibson for the Dominion of Canada
Short-Horn breeders Association.
We all have our fancies as to color in
cattle. Some admire roam, others red.
| With Hereford breeders red with white
face is orthodox, and with Angusmen
black and all black is their creed. Color
may be called a fancy; so it is EX-
perience says you may follow your fancy
SO long as it is not prejudicial to the
animal. That the Angus and the Devon
breed true to color is certainly not an
objection. That the Herefords are bet
ter. except for the sake of uniformity,
by being SO uniformly marked, we doubt,
as in our boyhood days. in the early
| fortys, we we'll remem Der the grayS
shown by Knight and Heath and Lord
Hatherton.
That the Short-Horn has suffered
much from the red craze can not be de-
MED. Experience says nothing has
done the breed more harm in these lat
ter days than this foolish desire for red.
Fortunately we have escaped this.
mania in great measure in Canada,
but where it has been carried to the ex-
treme, as in Kentucky and the West,
Their hair is harsh and wiry, having
lost that messy and beaver-like under
coat, such as is indicative of feeding
propensiti ties. 1t is admitted on all sides
| that roans are superior as feeders.
Then why does fancy run riot? Lack
of uniformity in color? What fallacy!
Experience says it is better to be uni
formly good, though of various colors
11x-It I'D nd III Of
The Jersey men tell US the craze or
fancy for solid colors, black tongue and
black switch, nearly destroyed the use
full qualities which first brought the
breed into prominence. In horns there
IS another fancy: some say let us have a
good strong horn, as it is an indication
/ of constitution. The Angus men Ratort
you do not want any, while the Here
ford and the Ayrshire breeders like
I certain shape.
/ Many good animal have we seen dis
carded at fairs thrown out for heavy
horn, perhaps placed behind a light
fieshy one with delicate steers horn. the
other carrying many pounds more beef
and in the most valuable parts. The
head is worth but few cents on the
block, but on the living animal what an
index to the value for breeding pur-
poses 1t is said Mr.. Bates fell in love
with Belvedere on seeing his head
| thrust through an open window, and de-
termined to buy him at any cost. What
are the fancies? In females the most
common is the objection to a thick or
meaty pouch near the jaws, or what in
horses would be called the throat-latch.
Fancy asks that they shall be we'll cut
up. or in other words, the setting on of
the head must be slight and slim. Yet
experience says that it is an indication
of a good feeder rather than defect,
and will never be found on a thin-fieshed
/ illthriving beast
/ The fallacy regarding the heads of
! bulls is that generally advocated by
young and inexperienced judges. Elk
perience says the head of the male must
be masculine. approaching coarseness
rather than the opposite. 1t is even SO
I in the human race. Where are the
pretty men? When you find them they
are generally too indolent to know how
/ to amuSe themselves.
/ Again, or viewing an animal with an
/ abnormally large brisllet how often we
/ hear the remark: what a great briS-
ket!" forgetting that if it is out of pro-
portion to the loin and ribs it is a detri-
/ ment rather than a point of excellence.
/ All parts should be evenly balanced,
/ and where one unduly predominates it
/ is not an advantage, and when it occurs
! in one of those parts Of the animal where
! the beef is of the least value, as in the
/ hrisket. it is still more Objectionable
/ Experience says u long, prominent
| brisket adds to the weight of w-priced
/ beef, whereas n broad, deep chest indi-
/ Gates NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., vigorous
/ animal. The shoulder, though one of
/ the most important parts of the animal,
/ is not often troubled with the fancy
/ peculiarities, though no doubt many of
/ US have heard the remark: what a
| great front. as wide as a barn" If we
examine this wonder closely we snail
/ see a wide, prominent, rough shoulder,
/ looking as i it had been stuck on after
! ward by very poor workman Expert
ence points out that on standing in
front of the animal the shoulder points
should be completely covered by the
neck vein, gradually swelling out like
bows of a ship, without any protuber-
ance or hollows until it is sunk or grad
ually absorbed by the chest, chine and
ribs. so that the eye can not detect
/ where the one ends or the other begins.
The shoulder itself should be smooth,
equally covered with flesh, not put on
in rolls as so often seen 1t is true that
from the neck and shoulders do not
come the choicest cuts, but every
butcher knows that there is a lot of
difference between the quality of
meat in the fore quarter, the rough,
plain shoulder yielding but little except
boiling pieces; whereas most can be cut
into roasts from q smooth, evenly.
EeShed one--BreederS' Gazette.
Tying Cattle.
An Eastern farmer sends to Farm and
Home his way of tying cattle, which is
herewith illustrated. 1t is simple and
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