The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-06


An interesting exhibition of the re-
sults of experimental feeding Of cattle
for the market and the block was given
Yesterday at the butcher store of Luley
a. Son, 3S2 Jackson street, under the
direction of Dean w. NJ. Liggett and
Prof Thomas B. Shaw, of the state
experimental station at St. Anthony
Park, and Andrew Boss, the instructor
in dressed meats at the station.
About dozen practical butchers and
meat dealers and score or more or
citizens viewed the sections of the car
casses. These consisted Of RIB roast
and a loin section of each section, IN
Guiding the choicest and most eXpen-
sive cuts of the dressed beef.
The explanations were made by the
three officials mentioned. Two steers
were selected from the herd of Mr. Gill
fillan. They were nearly of the same
age, and were coming three years Old.
One was more than three-fourths
Shorthorn, and the other was what
might be styled a cross-breed grade OF
common stock, with some ShortnOrn IN
his makeup.
The two animals were placed on feed
about Nov. l, and they were used daily
in the live stock class room for the in
struction of the students. The ration
given to each was the same, and con-
sisted of bran, ground barley and
ground corn. During the past four or
five weeks they received a small allow
ance of oil cake. They also received
twenty pounds of green ensilage per
day. and the balance was mixed clover
and timothy hay.
The gain in weight Of each was from
opa and half to two pounds per day,
and when slaughtered the grade Short
horn weighed 1,S55 and the issue of the
y, 49, ~,
OF the former during the entire five
months was fifty pounds more than
that Of his mate. The experiment
showed that the better steer gained an
average of siXty-one and a half pounds
per month. during that period, OF
nearly two pounds per day. This test
showed the capacity of the higher bred
over the lower, for taking on flesh In
the feeding process.
When the four sections were placed
side by side on the meat block yester-
day, the Impractical eyes could dis
cover no difference in their appearance
except that one loin section was larger
than the other, but they might readily
be taken as parts of the same carcase
They were numbered one, two, three
and four, respectively. Then each one
present indicated separately, on cards
his judgment as to the superiority OF
one quality of meat over the other, and
when the cards were collected it was
ascertained that the butchers and deal
ers had unanimously reached the same
conclusion, which was the correct one
Asked by Prof. Shaw to indicate the
marks of difference they one after an
other pointed them out or confirmed
the existence of the signs as indicated
by each speaker. The object lesson
was complete as establishing the su-
periority of classes of dressed meats.
An important feature of the test was
manifested by the declaration of one
butcher that dealer must himself
have had experience in the actual
slaughtering of animals and familiarity
with their appearance on the hoof, thus
comparing the results derived from Ger
tain breeds. in order to be able to
judge of their respective qualities in
the test of quality as dressed meat.
At this point Col. Liggett pointed to
the value of the work carried on by
the school, by stating that this was a
TART Of the instruction. of the students,
inasmuCh as by inspecting the living
animals, day by day, they were able
to distinguish the better and the poorer
meats after slaughtering. The dealers
also gave their opinions of the differ
eEce in the value of the two grades of
animals. 1t was agreed that there was
a difference of 81 per hundred on the
entire carcase; of 3A cents on the loin,
of 21a cents on the rib roast, and of
80 cents per hundred on the hoof, or,
in view of the weight in when slaugh-
tered, difference of about 81 per ami
NAL.