Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-11-27
To Pick Good Eseders.

| Feeders of cattle scarcely need any
suggestions to point OUT to them that
there have been some failures In the
| feeding business this season. says a
writer in the Chicago Drovers Jour-
/ nal Our relationship with a large
number of feeders has convinced us
that liberal percentage contend that
they have lost money. while on the
other hand many have found cattle
/ feeding profitable. 1t matters not
| whether man has been successful. or
has lost money in the matter of feed
| ing, the majority probably appreciate
! the Importance of getting started
| right and so continuing until the cat
! tie have been placed upon the market
If the feeders are to be bought 1t is
we'll to know thoroughly what COM
| poses a good steer. Not understanding
some fundamental points is often the
means of getting hold of cattle that
will fail to return a pr ,fit in view of
| the price paid for them. One of the
Utilities is uniformity. Not necessarily
that the steers should be all red or
roans or white faces, tho this feature
| is of great Importance, but that there
should be similarity in form, dispose
ton, breeding, temperament and feed
ing qualities.
Undoubtedly there is no feeder In
good healthy condition that is SO good
or SO poor but what a good profit can
be realized from his feeding. provid-
ing he has been bought righ- All de-
ponds upon whether the figure is low
enough so that after feeding he will
sell sufficiently we'll so that profit
will be returned over and above the
cost of feeding. In a large measure
the burden of the results rests upon
the difference between the buying and
the selling price. Obviously the feed
er is anxious to get these two extremes
as far apart as possible.
Good cattle always bring high prices.
One day with another, the best cattle
ION this market make the top sale OF
the day. There Is 70 chance about the
results. They bring good price in the
face of severe competition because
they are of such a character as to be
worth the top price to the purchaser.
These kinds Of cattle never come from
ers in the beginning were Of a high
order, made so by a liberal use of
pure-bred beef blood, good feeding
that prevented any possibility of
stunting, so that by the time they
were put upon the market they were
In thrifty. growing condition and
went into the yard witt, every chance
In their favor for producing prime beef
cattle when finally put upon the beef
market. Such cattle cost good money
as rule. and the man desiring to pro-
duce the highest type of cattle can
scarcely hope for success with any
sort of feeding cattle. AS to whether
1t Will pay the purchaser to buy these
kinds at the relatively higher prices
that they commonly command upon.
the market he alone must be the judge.
We have been always free, however,
to advise our readers to use good
blood. knowing. all things being equal.
that they were in position to realize
best on their investment.
We do not believe that any person
can lay down any infallible, fixed rule
in the matter OF cattle buying. How
ever, there are suggestions that are
frequently held out that may be made
of the utmost value to prospective pur-
chasers. In a recent issue Of The Farm
ers' Review DIR. A. S. Alexander. veter-
marian of the Wisconsin College of
Agriculture, gave a few points that
will be OF great value to purchasers
OF feeders. This authority says:
avoid the spare haired. hide bound
possessor of a depraved or nordinate
appetite. He will eat one out of house
and home and gallop from train about
as thin as when he commenced to raw
age the feeding racks and troughs. In
his place select the low-down. blocky,
thick, deep steer or heifer; the one with
the placid countenance rather than the
weary, anxious cnuntenance and long,
sorry face, denoting hunger and rapac-
itX We like to see a straight line
above and below, and on general prin-
ciples it is wise to fight shy of the
steer that Is built like a greyhound,
with heavy forequarters, q cut-up
flank and light hind extrenlities. A
steer of this conformation is fine
runner and jumper. but he can never
reach the highest price.
Select steers of about the same age.
Learn to examine the teeth and know
what they indicate. Don't IA into the
error of putting lot of four-tooth
steers into the same bunch with those
having but two. Taking the broad in
cisor teeth as criterion. bunch all
having similar mouths. and they will