The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-11-06
Breeding Dual Purpose Cattle.

Speaking Of the cattle business as IA
whole, there are some things that may
be regarded as definitely established.
One is that the ranges can no longer
supply the demand for feeding steers
coming from the feeding sections of
the country. The speculation in lands
in the semi-arid sections has advanced
prices to such an extent that the cat
tie breeder cannot afford to buy it for
pasturage purposes. 1t now costs him
as much to buy grass for the cattle
on the range as it does in many por-
lions of the corn belt Naturally the
ranger and the ranchman are going
out CT business. There is no question
about that. There may be a time when
a reimbursement will take place, and
farmers can secure large acreages on
the range. leave most of the land in
grass, and grow enough feed by dry
farming methods to keep their cattle
over winter, and thus the semi-arid
sections eventually produce as many
cattle as they did in the past: but
this is yet long distance in the flu
ture. This is one thing that we regard
as certain, and very few people, III
deed, differ from us in this opinion.
The second thing is that the growth
of our cities will constantly increase
the demand for milk; and hence the
dairy section will extend farther and
farther. AS it is now, it takes all of
New England, Pennsylvania, New
York, New Jersey, Maryland, Della
ware. and good deal of Ohio, to sup
ply milk for the cities from Pittsburgh
east. 1t takes large section of Ohio
to supply the milk for Cleveland and
Cincinnati, large section OF Illinois
and Wisconsin to supply milk for Chi
caSo and Milwaukee, and large sec
ton of southern Illinois and central
Missouri to supply milk for st. Louis
and Kansas City. These sections
should use the special purpose dairy
COWS, milk and cream being their main
product; but the progeny OF the spec
ial purpose dairy COW is not fitted for
beef production, simply because il is
a special purpose dairy animal. Hence
the male calves and many OF the fe
males are disposed of at the greatest
profit as veal. for which there is a
great and increasing demand.
Where, then, shall feeders obtain
their feeding steers? Evidently the
main portion of them must hereafter
come from the corn belt, and must
come either from farms which aim to
produce the highest type Of beef cat
tie, the progeny OF the distinctly beef
breeds, or from the farms where it
will no longer pay to keep COW for
the chance of calf, and hence the
farmer must have dual profit, he
calf and the milk, which is sold as it
should be under these conditions, to
the creamery.
Hereafter the progeny of the special
purpose beef breeds will be sold in the
form of baby beef, by which we mean
beeves from 500 to 1000 pounds, that
have been given the full use of the
COW, have never lost the baby fat, and
have been pushed from the start. The
large feeders, however, will get very
few of these. They will be finished by
the man who grows them, or by a
neighbor who is willing to pay com
paratively long prices for these calves
at the time they are well Weaned.
Therefore, as we see it, the supply
of what is known as feeders must
come largely from farms where the
farmer milks what cows he can as a
chore, say ten or twelve, raises the
calves by hand, and uses them to con-
sumo the roughage from his farm until
they are two years old, and then sells
them to the professional feeder or
feeds them himself. Finishing or feed
ing cattle is getting to be business
by itself, and hence man who under
stands it thoroughly can afford to pay
for good hand-raised feeders at two
years old more than the man who
feeds them can make out of them him
self.
If we are right in these conclusions
(think it over and see whether we are
right or not there is great opening
for the breeders of dual purpose cat
tie, whether they be Shorthorns of the
type, Red Polls, or any other
breed that is not distinctly beef
breed, nor yet dictinctly dairy breed.
The reason why the dual purpose
COW has not been in high favor in the
United States for many years is be-
cause of the methods that have been
adopted by breeders of cattle outside