The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1904-09-17
FARMER AND PLANTER.
The Markets Are Demandanw High
er Quality In Meats--How
to Meet IL.

81 Quality In Meats--H0W
to Meet II.
Tho home and foreign markets arr
Doth demanding higher quality In
meats. This particular feature In meat
production has rot been given a great
amount OF study. though the questions
OF crop production and economic feed
Ing have been quite exhaustively stud
LED In every state OF the union. The
prime object of the meat producer in
the past has been to get the greatest
possible increase in live weight in the
fatfening animal at the lowest cost,
and this great weight has frequently
consisted of disproportionate amounts
OF fat in the case of the finished ami
NAL. The trade Of the past stimulated
this lat production by placing a pre-
MUM on animals that would dress out
the greatest per cent. of carcass, and
this was accomplished in. the highest
degree by the excessively fat ones To-
day there seems to be two extremes in
the condition of market animals, on
the one hand too much weight and fat,
and on the other not enough; 1t is not
an easy matter to produce thick
neshed animals with q suitable proper
ton Of fat properly distributed.
The demands of the consumer are
changing. The invention of labor-sav-
Ing machinery has greatly modified the
demands upon the muscular energies Of
those engaged in many pursuits. The
taste OF the consumer in general Is in
Ginning more and more toward the
consumption Of more flesh and less
lard and tallow. Vegetable. and miner
al oils are, to large extent, super
seding the animal oils for purposes Of
illumination, fabrication, and to some
extent for domestic purposes.
r The producer must adopt methods of
breeding. feeding and management
whereby thick-feshed rather than
over-fat carcasses will b produced.
The markets have begun to discrim-
mate against too much fat They re-
alize the difficulty Of inducing the pro-
Queer to deviate from long practiced
methods, and have adopted as meth
Cd Of securing better quality of meats,
determinations against heavy, over-fat
beeves and tallowy lambs and mutton.
The market puts premium on light
and intermediate weights. which means
that the producer must market his ami
mails at an earlier age; at a time when
the proportion of fat and lean is mar
rover than in the heavily-fattened ma
ture animal. The numerous large pack
ing plants of the country have .ex-
pressed their disapproyal Of tho excess
Of tallow on beeves by refraining from
bidding on heavily-fattened show AMI
mails.
The present situation would seem to-
indicate that virorous campaign Of
Investigation and education along
these lines must be speedily and uni
versally adopted. We say investiga-
ton, because the production of thick
deshed c.rcasses In large measure In
wolves the problems In breeding which
lead US to the gateway Of . fleld as yet
little explored.
A grave question confronting ths|
meat producer IL. how is he going to
know when he has produced this de-
sired quality? He breeds, feeds and
markets his animals. but rarely ever
does he see their carcases after they
have been dressed. The block tests
tnaugurated by the International Live
Stock exposition have demonstrated
that even expert judges have not al
ways been able to select from among
the living animals those which would
produce the best carcasses. These tests
have decided against the one time
winning hunks Of tallow. And yet,
notwi. hstanding the useful and prac-
tical nature of these educational fea-
lures presented by the international.
It IS astonishing how few profit by
them or even cast more than pass
Ing glance. In agricultural educational
Institutions the practice Of the past
has largely consisted in demonstrations
~ to form, estimates as to quality and
certain Judging exercised. We have
been content with attempting to dem.
to our classes that because
certain animals possess certain feat
ures Of form and handling qualities,
they will likely be possessed Of GER
tain quality Of carcass, and demonstfa- |
lions or inaccuracy Of the conclusions.
It is true that few institutions have
presented slaughter demonstrations to |
their classes, the members Of which |
have been on-lookers, but this can not
the Instruction given during |
several weeks OF actual laboratory |
work requiring the use Of the knife,
rleayer, saw and scales In the hands Of
The students. Prof. Shaw, in Kentucky |
Farmer and Breeder.
rApr m prcS TN SKINNED