Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-02-08
BREEDING BEEF CATTLE
AND THEIR SELECTION
Science and Care Needed in
Breeding and Feeding.
The Modern Beef Animal Contrasted
With Old Time Kind, to Advant-
age of the Latter.

Paper read by .. H. Martin, Bloomington
before the recent Farmers Institute in this
city.l
When / was requested by the COM
Ealttee to prepare q paper for you
on the subject OF Beef Cattle" I
naturally began thinking what 1
could say that would interest you.
This subject in my opinion has been
relegated to tue rear ID most places,
or been entirely ignored, and In be-
half of the breeders of beef cattle in
this county l heartily thank the
committee in charge for giving us
hearing. / hardly feel equal to the
task or setting forth the merits of
these cattle In the manner they
deserve OF course, there have
been beef cattle $50 called" for many
years, but there has been an i'm
prOvement in this line more marked
than IN any other class, until today
we have an animal so far from the
oiden type that / thought it we'll TO
mention the former by way of COM
parisOn.
This not altogether ancient type
was very large, coarse of bone, long
legged and not considered ready to
fatten until about four years old,
and in order to bring them to any
degree of finish would require about
six to eight months feed on corn,
and when finished were only large
frame we'll covered with tallOw aud
weighing perhaps ton. We could
have them today If there was a de
mand for this class but would have
10 have large premium for prOduc-
ing this kind as compared with our
present day kind. Think of raising
a steer to the age of four or five
years and then feed him six or eight
months, what would that kind of an
animal cOst2 Could you make a
q profit2 How many 100 or 12G0
pound animals could you raise with
the same amount of feed? This
latter kind is the beef animal of to-
Day that is bringing top prices lis
always In demand-bOth credit
and q pleasure to the breeder and
feeder who are usually the same
person
I will endeavOr to describe this
type, and the dam and sire and the
method of producing this new born
infant of the bovine race, christen-
ed, ''babY beef" AS they are of
recent origin there Is un 'oubtedly
some little skepticism about their
being as profitable as an older
animal, but you must remember
there is a vast difference in the
method of handling them. They
cannot be rOughed along for a
period and then fed on ear corn, and
hay. Instead the beef-making pro.
cess must commence at birth, with
an allowance OF the dams milk com
mensurate with the need of the
calf. TINS should be the main ra-
ton, and as it is perfectly balanced
there is nc danger of over eating.
producing flesh that will out weigh
flesh produced from any other food
1t is imperative you maintain this
or you lose your profit. At about
the age of two months you should
commence the grain ration in adj
d1tiOn to the milk, consisting of
ground oats and bran, about equal
parts - not peck, just a handful. |
Nature has been tIfe dominating
feature up to this period, and as you
step In to assist her you will need |
your wits handy. Gradually IN
crease the grain as the demand calls |
for, adding oil meal little later. |
At the age of about three months |
they should have free access to fresh |
water. Continue this method to |
about the age of eight months, when
you can gradually dispense with the
milk and add corn meal to your .ra-
ton or start this last before wean- !
ing. If at this period you will add /
succulent feed IN the shape of roots, /
so much the better. l would con-
tinue this method until the calf |
would weigh about 100, which |
weight should be reached at about
12 to IA months, depending largely
On the individual.
There is one requisite of vital i'm
pOrtance l Called to mention at the
start, and that is, they have to be
we'll bred of some of the beef |
breeds. This is imperative. If you
have selected your parents wisely,
you will have an animal with a
well-matured body, with the features
of calf, small head, short, fine
neck, a medium-length of we'll
rounded body, plump, full quarters
and short legs. You can be reason
ably sure of six cents per pound for
: this class of animal any time at the
Chicago market.
The other method, and the more
commonly resOrted TO of raising by
most any old way until about thirty
months, and then feeding for ninety
DAYS, or to use the proper term,
short fed. should not be considered
IN this paper as this class of beef
making as a rule, is carried on by
- u n ~. m r,,.nfooS1nnal fa.adarr |