Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-07-12

ing quality of the millions OF nativei
scrubs so quickly as the Shorthorn.'
And while improving size and feed
ing quality he will improve the milk.
ing quality of the scrub in an equal
degree. ,
From my earliest experience when
| held a grade Shorthorn heifer calf
for my father at local fair in West
ern Indiana forty years ago, to the
present time, l have been a close OBJ
server under widely different condi-
tons of the effect of the improved
breeds upon the native cattle. Dur
Ing considerable portion OF this time
l have been an extensive feeder of beef
cattle, handling all kinds impartially
under the same conditions, and with
out prejudice, except as created by my
experience in the feed lot. ! was old
enough to observe the rapid improve
ment of our cattle in Western Indiana
by the use of registered and grade
Shorthorns. That Improvement con-
tinued until we were sending steers of
the highest class to Eastern markets.
That era of Improvement reached its
maximum nearly twenty years ago.
During the same time / had an OPP
portunity to observe the same process
in Central Illinois.
No experienced range man, however,
can doubt that the Shorthorn made
far greater improvement on the native
Texas and Mexican cattle than could
have been made by any other i'm
proved breed. Those qualities in
which they were most deficient were
the ones in which the Shorthorn par
ticularly excelled all other breeds, su-
perior size, width Of back, depth Of
rib, fulness of ham and natural do
cility, and the power to transmit them
In marked degree. Those desirable
qualities were all implanted to some
extent in our western herds before the
| other beef breeds were introduced
The Shorthorn has been the pioneer
and the great improver. There has
been marked deterioration in the
cattle of all sections in proportion as
the Shorthorns have been supplantd by
other breeds. There is scarcely cat
tie raising section in the agricultural
states where the cattle are as good
as they were fifteen years ago. The
inferior quality of the cattle that go
to our puOlic markets is a matter Of
common observation. They show a
motley mingling Of all strains. Who
can doubt that If the raisers of cattle
had faithfully adhered to the Short
horns, continuing to use the best sires
they were able to procure, the results
would have been far better
But the farmer as well as the range
man began to imagine he wanted a
"rustler," an animal that could sur
vive the most possible hardship and
neglect. He did not then realize, as
he does now, that what he really need
ed was an animal that would give the
most liberal response in beef and milk
to the most liberal treatment, and that
the breeder was the one who should
do the "rustling" If he was to expect
the best results. Tried by the rigid
law of 1.-The survival of the fittest,"
under range conditions, the pure bred
| Texas longhorn was immensely supe-
| rior to any breed ever imported. 1t
must be apparent to every close OBJ
| server that the ability to withstand
neglect and adverse conditions is to
some extent impaired as we increase
the size of our live stock. Extreme
size, whether in horses, hogs, or cat
tie, requires better feed and attention
to preserve the growth and thrift of
the animal, in order that it may reach
the limit of it's development.
Beef production, in the natural evo-
| luton of the business, must come more
| and more under farm conditions where
the farmer and feeder, and not the ami
NAL, must do the rustling AS popula-
ton increases, milk must play more
and more important part in the econ
| omics Of beef production. 1t does not
require the gift of prophesy to see
that the time is approaching when the
| invaluable qualities combined in the
| Shorthorn as in no other breed will,
| from force of necessity, be more and
more in demand. Then will the noble
| Shorthorn come to it's own and take
| it's rightful place far in advance of all
breeds-incomparably the Great I'm
| proven.