The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-02
SOME FOLLIES IN THE CATTLE
TRADE"


TRADE"
Of the beef-catt.e trade that those who are
supposed TO represent the extreme p.ic zeal
side of the business, to wit the rangelnel
and buyers at the yards, should be respons- IL
for a state of affairs which initiates tc-Vpy
and directly against the highest deN elopn ent
OF leading types Tor actual feei-lot and
that plumes itself most upon its intens1y
practical way of doing business is a a
matter of fact the most demorallzing ta5tor
we have today in the work OF improving The
quality of our steers.
For instance: During the recent period Of
extraordinary activity in the marke. for
Southwestern rargemen do not want ca e
with any red markings about the eyes. From
time immemoria. Hereford breeders have yes
sessed these co-called brown-eyed cAtle, ana
the idea that any person would evar OBJECT
to them probably never entered the mind OF
any man with brains enough to breed good
cattle. On the contrary one of America 5
greatest feeders breeders and showmen said
to the writer many years ago that he loved
his brown-eyed Heretords, and othsr thing
being equal always picked snow cali win
the red circ!e about the eyes. Just what the
connection is between this point and every
day service upon farm or range the Ga-e t.
has yet to learn.
Again these same enterprising buyers have
aisc manifested a disinclinatiop = buy bulls
having red instead of white crests. Now our
best Hereford herds all contain tne cattle
carving red instead Of whIte Ia along the
top OF The n=cE. To Illustrate low this Sly
whim untavorably arf3: IS the busin IS We
nay recall cas- IN pom. AZ sunny S'pe
one day last fall ar Oklahoma nr1ed'r was a
quest Of a bull. He was juage enough TO lc-
cate the best bull in the bunch from which a
selection to be made, and said at once
81 would take that calf but he has no white
on his crest" The writer inquired what elf
ference that made and the reply was; Why,
if I were TO take that calf down into my coun-
try my neighbors would all raise the point
that he was not pure-bred Hereford. know
better myself, of course; but l can't overlook
the opinions of the other fellows" The cali
in question was easily the widest-backed d,
shortest-legged one in the lot. He was left
behind, however, and one Of less merit for
practical purposes, but with white on his
neck was taken instead for steer-breedinS
purposes. The best one was sacrificed to the
acknowledged ignorance of the buyers neigh
bors! A pretty state OF AFFAIRS, indeed, Dat
one which exists in more than one section OF
the practical West Tins preJudlce against
red-necked cattle seems to affect nearly all
the range buyers, and if continued will lead
to certain deterioration among our Hereford
herds. 1t is hard enough in all conscience to
get high-class herdheaders even when the
whole breed may be picked, but If We must
draw the line against all the brown eyes and
red necks we by that act exclude from the
range of selection a large and excellent body
of cattle Just as undefled in their descent as
any others in the herd book. 1t Is nonsense.
1t is suicidal; and the Hereford association
might well spend little OF its Fat surplus
doing missionary work upon these points
throughout the West Let the people know
in some way what constitutes Dure-bred
animal of the great grazing breed
And while upon this subject let thirteen
inch gun be fired squarely into the heart OF
that equally senseess and altogether demon
a,iZing craze for dark-red cattle - either
among Herefords or Shorthorns. Every wei
informed man in the cattle business in this
country knows that the golden reds are the
mellowest handlers and best feeders; and
yet they turned down even harder than
the brown eyes and red necks among the
Eerefords, or the roans amcng the Snort
tclligent men to indulge in! The sol.d-color
craze comes in reality from the pre-emi-
nently practical, hard-headed folk at the
stock yards. AS the Gazette demonstrated by
interviews with leading buyers more than a
year age those who are paid great salaries
for their supposed expert knowledge of what
is under a bullock's hide, when driven into
corner admit that they lid a premium
every day in the week for sold -colored loads
OF cattle as compared wi, steers of identical
That our great slaughterers who pride them
selves upon the perfection of their system
as respects economy OF operation, should
countenance this direct leak in their OWE
wallets is inconceivab!e: and yet the loss tt
them is trivial compared with the irrepar-
able damage being wrought to our breeding
stocks in the dai y sacrifice of choice breed.
ing animals upon the altar of solid color.
Puck has us down correctly: What fools
these mortals be-"
CATTLE ON THE MARKET.
1t is almost discouraging to be compelled
to read day after day in the reports of catt,e
markets about the large percentage of coarse
unfinished and generally undesirable cattle
that each and every day finds exposed fol
sale: For years cur people have been i'm
porting. buying, breeding, preaching and in
structing in the hope of raising the standard
Of beef cattle, but if we to judge by the
markets the percentage of good cattle ha.
not been increased to any perceptible ex
tent A comparison of receipts now and ter
Years ago shows about the same percentage.
Of good, fair and poor. The arts Of breed
ing and of feeding seem to develop, with dis
heartening slowness, if they develop at all
Coed sires seem to be neutralized by coup
ling with unfit dams, and the progeny no
what it should be at the beginning gives
evidence of being so fed and cared for from
ca'fhood on that the bad start has worse end
Ing But cause or remedy will not be dis
cussed here; the object of this is only t,
state fact and Geplore condition tina
should be radically changed.-Farm, Stool
and Home.