The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-09-08
AGRICULTURAL.
FLESH AND FAT IN BEEF.
The Relation of Breeder, Feeder,
Butcher and Consumer.

heIat1on OF breeder, Feeder,
Butcher and Consumer.
As improved cattle take the place of
our common stock the problem OF feed
ing for lean meat will become more and
more important. To have high grade
or pure bred cattle does not always In
spire the man who raises cattle for the
feed lots to improve his stock by pur-
chasing pure bred cattle. One of our
best judges OF beef cattle. both alive
and on the block, Is quoted as saying,
Our improved breeds of beef cattle
were getting to contain so large a per
cent OF fat that they were not as profit
able from the butchers standpoint as
palmer bred steer. and. as far as quail
ty Is concerned, n palmer bred steers
carcass would have sufficient quality IL
the steer has been properly fed and rip
ened."
1t would undoubtedly be better ad-
vertisement TO a pure breed to have its
slaughtered animals show as nearly the
Ideal condition as possible on the block.
Unfortunately, fat in excess is fire.
quently upheld as the standard of ex-
cellence. In the public sales of today II
Is the fat animal that brings the high
est price even though there is by its
side better framed animal that is in
far better breeding condition. For
breeding purposes fat Is a hindrance
rather than help. Breeding stock
fitted for the show ring must have its
fat reduced after the show season is
over. 1t taxes the skill of the breeder
TO the utmost to reduce this fat, as a
mistake at this time may ruin an ami
NAL for future usefulness as breeder
The farmer or amateur breeder visits
the fairs and stock shows and sees
stock In plump, fat condition. and. as
this condition is pleasing to the eye. he
holds up these animals as his standard
and demands animals in fat condition
when he buys. As long as the demand
is for fat animals the breeder will sup
ply this demand even though 1t is det-
riment and useless expense both to the
seller and buyer. When we are able to
recognize merit without its being pad
ded with fat II will mean saving of
thousands Of dollars TO breeders of live
stock. Utility. not excessive fat, should
Fat. or the fat tendency. that would
be condemned by the butchers may
have its place i'm bulls that are to be
crossed upon scrub or common cows
that are deficient In the fat element,
but all such crosses should be made
intelligently by the breeder.
The Feeder.
a ~ lar b,<, e.
OF getting his cattle too fat. For this
reason 1t is sometimes suggested that
he be encouraged to get his cattle as
fat as possible i'm order not to fall be.
low the market requirements. While
Ii Is doubtless true that many feeders
fail to get the proper finish to their cat
tie. this Is no reason why they should
remain I'm ignorance of what consti
tutes a proper finish. The feeder should
be taught as to what Is meant by an
ideal beef and encouraged to reach that
ideal whenever II is possible and to be
able to recognize II when 1t is reached
Such knowledge will inspire a feeder
| to do better feeding and will undoubt
edly result in the marketing of betteI
cattle. Another class of feeders may
market their cattle i'm a finished con
dltion. but not being able to recognize
this condition may be led by unscrupu
lous buyers TO imagine their cattle are
not fat enough and sell them according
ly. Feeders need to know what they
have and what their cattle will show
upon the block. The more knowledge
feeders have along these lines the more
certain they are to be respected and tG
| get their just dues.
Butcher and Consumer.
The butcher buys a beef animal fol
| the amount Of lean meat he Is able t.
cut from 1t and especially for the
amount Of lean in the high priced cuts
He wants just as little waste as posi-
BILE. 1t is his business to cater to ths
desires of the consumer. and whatever
| the consumer demands he tries to Sc
cure I'm the purchase of beef animal
The consumer dictates to the butcher
the butcher to the feeder and the feeder
| to the breeder. In other words, the
consumer is the supreme judge as te
what constitutes good beef. and all the
| others must bow to his judgment
There is no question but that the con
sumer is demanding more lean ant
less fat. AS indicated In cooking tests
there must be enough fat distributed
| among the fibers of the lean to make
| the meat tender and well favored. bu
the heavy layers of fat are now rele
gated to the tallow box and not served
on the meat platter. II this be true II
behooves both the breeder and feeder
to produce beef animals that will fur
nish the largest amount Of well mar
bled meat In the highest priced cut,
with the least amount of extraneou,
fat.-D. III. Otis. Kansas Experiment
Station.