The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-10-03
VALUE OF A BREED IN AN
EXPERIMENT..
(Beef production considered.)
BY CHRIS
Graduate Of State ColIeqe, 1913.

Every person with experience in the
cattle business knows hat blood
tells in beef production. Where
there is such unanimity of expression
the fact must exist, but the reasons
given are not always the same, and
so are worthy of careful examination.
Occasionally the claim is yet adj
yanced thai well-bred cattle eat less
than native or scrubs. This opinion
is not generally held by owners of
pure bred n ~high-grade stock, who
know that their animals when gain
ing rapidly are hardy feeders, though
when mature they require only small
amounts OF %provender for mainte-
lance. Nothing in the tables given By
the different experiment stations war
rant the statement that pure-bred or
~hieh-grade cattle OF the beef breeds
are smaller eaters.
The second and most common claim
is That benf-breed cattle make better
gains on 4 given amount OF feed than
90 dairy-bred OF scrub cattle. Several
stations have recorded the compare
tive gains Of the various breeds from
a given quantity of feed and it will be
seen that While we can point to cases
where the beef-breed steer produces
100 pounds OF gain with less feed than
the dairy-bred or native steer, yet the
largest amount of feed consumed by
any animal for a given gain stands
charged to one Of the beef type. From
the data covering eight feeding trials
at five stations, We are unable to show
that a pound Of feed goes further in
with those not especially bred for that
purpose.
The most common claim for supe-
riority with the beef breeds is that
animals SO bred mature earlier than
others. Consulting figures given in
the strictly dairy breeds reached as
heavy weight in a given time as did
several Of the beef-bred representa-
tives. Holstein steers made substan-
TALLY as large daily gains as n Of
the others, and Jersey and native
OlCSIS 1NdlCu Tx Nv - Ia
the data goes, we have no evidence
that beef-bred animals make more
rapid gain than do others. The degree
of maturity of the animal as a pro-
Queer of beef is not wholly meas
ured, however, by weight, SO tina this
division of the subject can not be con
sidered as entirely covered by the
data presented in regard to daily
gain.
The data referring to live weight at
the time of slaughter and daily gain
from birth shows that the Red Polls
gave the largest percentage Of dress
ed carcass to live weight, these yield
Ing as high as G5.2 per cent average
dressed weight c. carcass, while other
beef breeds yielded from GA to 60 per
cent, while those of the dairy breeds
ard the natives dressed only 60 to 63
per cent. Eleven Herefords f~attened
| and slaughtered at different stations
yielded s per zen more dressed car
cass to live weight than did nine ma.
tiyes at other stations. Here is the
first marked difference in favor OF the
Leef-bred over other cattle for beet
production.
There is, however, a specific differ
ence between the beef and dairy
breeds in the distribution of fat within
the body. 1t appears that the beef
| representatives place more Of the ia,
| between the fbers Of the muscles. On
the other hand. steers OF the dairy
| breeds deposit proportionately more
fat about the iatestines and kidneys
Fat intimately mingled with the mus
| cular fibers OF the lean tissues rem
| ders such meat tender, juicy, anC
| toothsome. Placed in separate masses
anywhere about the body, and espe
Tally witnin the body cavity, it ha:
ut low value. Such storage is doubt