The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-05-16
BEST BLOOD.
u There Such . Thing as the Best Breed
of Beef Cattle?

q There Such . Thing as the Best Breed
Of Beef Cattle?
A great many farmers in the states
came to the conclusion when the range
business wa started that there was no
use to raise and feed beef cattle any
longer. But only $780, 900 western range
cattle were on the Chicago market for
1890-about 6 per cent. of the entire re-
ceipts. With receipts at Chicago of
100000 cattle, not over 10 per cent.
could be classed as good to choice, say
$50, 900; this is probably an overestimate.
OF the entire receipts the western ranges
furnish 1870. 600, Texas 800, 900. and the
States 2,72O. OO0. The good to choice,
$50, 900 come from the states cattle; this
will leave 1873, 900 that cannot be quoted
good.
Now the work Of the breeders of pure.
bred beef breeds is to find Il way by
which 2,315, 900 cattle that now class as,
scrubs-coarse, rough steers-can be:
raised to good and choice beef steers. 1t
must be remembered that this is only a
fractional part of what is to be done, but
IIllS ID CIlOuSu w SlhIJ WILL. J. hLlO" kilc
breed that will work this change. Colonel
j. w. Judy and others know of another
breed that will do it. II. w. Harvey,
and others know of another breed that
will do it. And it is more than likely:
that either one Of the breeds would do it;
if they could he put to work. The best
of the produce of either one of these
bpoox7, hoo cold ~ civ 1ol1nrc ,,1 ,o~,-
100 pounds ut the Union Stock Yards this
winter. as bad as the markets have been,
and the more Hereford, Short Horn and
Scotch blood there is in these bullocb
the easier it is to get on top.
For four years past very little has
been done to improve the cattle of the
states OF on the ranges. The Big -Four
have held the top and bottom very close
together. A good portion Of the time
the bulk of the native steers have held
between three and four dollars per 100
pounds, and now the number that get to
five dollars and over is very small. 1t is
coming, however, and my judgment is
there will be Il steady advance to six
dollars and upward. AS cattlemen real
ize this they will want to get there"
and to do this they will want our bulls,
and they cannot get there without them.
For twenty years there has been a
arm competition between breeds, and
twenty years ago there was Il general
opinion there was but one breed that
would produce the steers that would take
the top place in the markets of the
world, and that breed was supposed to
be the Shorthorn, and so sure were the
breeders Of that breed that they occupied
this place that they ignored all outside
competition. and different families Of
this breed were brought forward in COM
petition with each other.
At about this time the Herefords came
forward with their claims. and then the
Scots came with their claims. They
have now been before the public with
competent judges to pass on their merits.
They have also been on our best markets
and Judged by expert buyers, and each
of the breeds has zone on to the show
grounds and divided the honors with the
other, and on the markets each has made
top figures. SO we need not wrangle
among ourselves.
The fine stock breeder has only to be-
come familiar with the class of cattle
coming on our markets to become con-
WINGED that the use of our pure bred beef
breeds has become Il necessity. and it is
only necessary for breeders to make
known the merits of their breeds to Sc
cure Il fair hearing; and to This end we
nave not to go to history or TO IL Longtime
ancestry to show what they can do. but
we can point to the markets Of the
last year to show the difference in values
as between the product Of scrub bulls
and that of pure bred bulls Of the beef
breeds.
Beyond this we shall be able to show
that the product of the pure bred can 90
to market at 9 years old weighing 1.400
pounds as easily as the product OF the
scrub a go to ], 100 pounds ut 3 years
old, while the quality of the product of
the pure bred is such that we can make
them worth from six to seven dollars per
100 pounds, while the product of the
scrub will be Of a quality that will be
worth but from3 to $3. 80. W. can show
further that the 800 bullock has not
cost more than the forty dollar bullock.
That is the position we occupy in rela-
ton to the beef product of the country.
Cor. Breeders Gazette.
Points of Interest.