Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-03-09
MAKE BEEF FROM DAIRY
BREEDS?
Experiment OF Great Interest Being
Tried in Minnesota-Some
RacuIts

Experiment or Great Interest Being
Tried in Minnesota Some
Results.
In Minnesota, where both milk and
beef are wanted, plan has been in
|stituted of dual breeding, not perpetu-
ating crosses. This plate gives both the
dairymen and their beef men their
innings. The dairyman. with his herd
Of full-biood Jerseys or Holsteins, as
the case may be, viii breed purs-bred
stock for one year to keep up full
blooded recruits for the dairy.
The next year he will breed these
dairy cows to thoroughbred Short
horn or Hereford bull-possibly an
Angus-to raise a bunch of beef steers
and heifers for the market, probably
raising -bloods for two years, and
then switching back and breeding
these same cows and their pure-bred
heifers to either Jersey or Holstefn
as the case may be.
The plan is said to be working we'll,
and these beef steers and heifers with
dairy mothers are pretty nearly cap
turing the market in gain and Dress
ing qualities. and are away ahead in
gross value OF dressed carcass.
The Minnesota station has taken this
matter DIP for the last four years,
and in 10000 came dangerously near
lcapturing the dressed-beef prize at the
Chicago Fat Stock show with its half
dairy blooded steers. s f..
| Last year the iowa station fed a
bunch OF full blooded beef steers and
1.-THE Minnesota station four steers with
Holstein mothers and with Hereford.
Angus and Shorthorn sires respective
lly, and with the result which I here
/ append:
| At the time the Iowa Experiment
Station began, the Iowa steers weighed
I1,0f2 pounds and the Minnesota steers
t1,040; and were yearlings past. Four
LOT the latter were carried through the
/ experiment the same time that the
Iowa steers were.
| The Iowa steers received on an aver
| age 1876 pounds Of grain q day, and
the Minnesota steers received 6%
pounds. The former gained 1.61
pounds a day. while the latter gained
1.39 pounds daily.
The former made one pound Of gain
to 11.40 pounds of grain consumed,
while the latter required only ABS
pounds OF grain to a pound OF gain.
In economy of production, the Mime
[sota steers out Of dairy cows did far
better than the Iowa steers. i5
Two Of these steers were In the
block test at the last National Fat Stock
|show in Chicago, one ranking fourth
and the other sixth. And, by the way
1.-THE rating which they received on the
block was about the same as their per.
j formance In the feed stall. The Angus
d Holstein was four months older thar
i the Hereford Holstein. while h,
weighed only twenty-five pounds more
showing that the latter was the better
!. steer
But the point that we wish to cal
!, attention to is that the Minnesota
lsteers came within 0.22 of a pound O
i making as great a daily average gair
lon 6A pounds Of grain as did thu
i Iowa steers on 1876 pounds of grain.
The economy in the grain ration ii
these half-bred steers is a very grea
one, and not very long ago Professor
i Hacker sent a cross bred Jersey ani
Hereford steer to the same show, .ans
actually won at all points, save tina
4 the judges held that prizes must 81
to the pure-bred steers; but for gain
ECONOMY of food. loss in dressing ant
pounds of actual edible meat, aftel
following for table waste, the station
steer was the real winner Of the blocl
prize.
This way of breeding and treat
ment puts the dairy COW into the rea
place claimed for the dual purpos,
COW. When beef is wanted, breed he
to a thorough beef sire: the re-
sulting offspring will hold its own OF
the block, at the feed box and on TIL,
retail counter, and, above all, in In
crease of body weight as compared
with feed consumed. sE