Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1905-03-10
agricultural.
SELECTION OF FEEDING CATTLE

SELECTION OF FEEDING CATTLE
The success or failure of the cattle
feeder depends, perhaps, quite as much
on his ability to select bis cattle as on
any other factor. 1t matters little how
skillful the feeding or how costly and
complete the stables and equipment, il
the feeder makes many mistakes in his
selection.
If, in bunch Of 20 cattle a man has
Eve or six of the wrong sort, his chances
for profit are very considerably dimin-
ished. A few rough, coarse feeders in
@ bunch not only make unsatisfactory
gains themselves, but spoil the appear.
Ance Of the others, making it harder to
sell to advantage.
To be q good judge of cattle for feed.
ing purposes q man must have the nat
ural intuition Of the cattle man. The un.
erring eye that enables q man to make a
close discrimination between the good
and the bad in live stock is like an ear
for music; more natural gift than an
acquired quality. Like other gifts it can
be brought to perfection only by prac.
tice.
OF all classes Of cattle, stockers are the
hardest to judge. Fat cattle and even
breeding stock must be judged for what
they ara as they appear before you al
the time, but feeders must be Judged
for what they are likely to be FIVE or si1
months later. In the one case you are
passing judgment on the finished pro,
duct; in the other on bundle of prob
bilities. Indications in good breeding
therefore, are Of paramount import
ance in lean feeder for, if in any
chance we must gamble more or less OF
future possibilities, it is much safer t.
speculate on q well bred bullock than
on one Of common or inferior breeding
If We believe in heredity at all we must
believe that the ability to lay on flesh
thickly and in the right places is an he
reditary trait.
Some Of the most reliable indications
Of quality and breeding are to be found
in the head. Many experienced cattle
men attach quite as much importance to
the conformation of the head as to that
Of any part Of the animal, not because
the head has any value in itself, but be-
cause it is very reliable index of the
breeding and general character of the
animal. The face should be broad be-
tween the eyes and short from the eyes
to the muzzle, with fine, clean cut ap-
pearance. The muzzle should be large
and we'll defined
do not think l have ever known a
good feeder with q small muzzle. The
eyes should be full and bright, but calm
and placid. A fiery, restless eye indi-
Gates the wrong kind Of nervous temper
ament for feeder; and on the other
hand a small, dull, sunken eye indicates
a sluggish circulation and low vitality.
A long, narrow, pinched looking face is
to be avoided it is almost always asso-
ciated with a general spsreness through
out.
In bodily conformation the feeder
should be deep, thick, blocky, and low
set. 1t is important that we have long
and well sprung rib, giving him a vide,
level back and large middle do not
advocate paunchy animal This is an
undesirable extreme and is usually an
indication Of unthriftiness. A steer N ust
be deep and full in both the fore and
hind flank to give him plenty of room in
front for the heart aud lungs, and am
pie storage for bLy back of that. It is
folly to put good feed into light mid
died steer and hope for satisfactory gain.
Smoothness is another important fea
ture of a good feeder, Coarseness of
bone, large, rough joints, and augularity
of frame. usually go together, and an
animal having these characteristics is
exceedingly hard to finish. He may
make large enough gains for food con-
sumed, but he does not show it; YOU
cannot get him covered, and when YOU
put him on the market he appears at q
disadvantage and will not command the
highest price. He should be medium il
bone and smooth over the shoulders and
hooks, to cover evenly and smoothly
with flesh.
The skin is another valuable indica
ton Of the feeding qualities Of bullock
II should be soft, mellow and loose you
should be able to pick up handful Of il
any place. 1t should be covered with ,
thick coat of 6ue glossy hair, whicI
looks and feels as though it had some
life in it A hard, harsh skin with q
dry staring coat indicates feeble cir.
culation and general lack of thrift.
This may be due to some temporar,
causes, AID once in long time q bac
handler will respond to good care anG
feeding, but this happens so seldom tina
it is always safer to let someone els,
make the experiment II a steer come
Of the grass in bad condition he is no
like to make good gains on winter feed
As to the best age at which to bu,
feeders, opinions differ. A we'll RrowI
two-year-old in tOlerAbly good Aesb il
usually the most profitable. A lear
and undersized two yeAr-old will usual,
start to grow when put on good fec
and although he will make large gain
for food consumed, it is almost impossi
BILE to get him fat enough in one season
IL is usually necessary TO give him
run at grass the following summer {,
get him finished. "A. p. Ketchen. il
Amarioan A orioultn-, "a