Evening journal., 1914-09-14
A Story Of Beefsfeak from the Randi to fhe TabI{

"Iwelve hundred and forty pounds"
called out the man in the scale room.
We were at one of the scale houses in
the Union Stock Yards, Chicago, weigh
ing one of Farmer Collins steers. Far
mer Collins is an Iowa farmer and cat
tie feeder, and he had that morning ar
rived in Chicago with a carload OF
twenty-five choice cOrn-fed steers.
The Individual steer which we we
nad singled out, we Immediately dubbed
"Dandy," tor we were there to trace his
history, and we thought it fitting that
he should have a name to tack the his
tory onto.
On the Montana Farm.
Dandy, we learned from Farmer Col
Inns, was bred in Southeastern Montana,
by an old-time ranchman, well-known
among Western cattle men. In the
balmy days of ranch life with its pic
turesuun "cowboys" and cattle ponies,
this stock raiser had operated a large
ranch. At tho present time he pro-
duces only 4 tithe of the number Of
cattle he used TO produce. The move
ment of population Westward and the
breaking up of ranches into small farms
has completely changed the aspect OF
Western cattle raising.
The story of Dandy is like that of
thousands of others Of his kind which
finally arrive at the great packing cen
ters. His story is the story of the mod
ern day beefstcak which brings de-
light to our dinner table, but which
seldom arouses our curiosity as to
whence it came and how. Yet this beef
steak has a very interesting history-a
history in which is involved the science
of modern day farming, the activities OF
the Federal Department of Agriculture
and the industrial wonders of the mod
ern day packing industry.
Dandy remained on the pastures o
/ his Montana home, where he was born
for about two years. At the end of thi
time he had attained his highest valu
TO his owner. To keep him lOnge
would entail diminishing return o
profit. lie was bred of high grade bee
stock, and was destined, in order t
reach his highest value, to be fatted Ol
a ration of corn. Accordingly. his own
er, at the proper time, loaded him int
a cattle car with a number Of his fcl
lows, and gave him his first ride, 80
miles across the country to sout
Omaha.
South Omaha is one Of the big West
ern markets for "feoders." where tn
cattle raiser Of the grazing cOmtr
brings his young animals to sell thor
80 farmers in the corn belt for fatten
ing. II was at South Omaha that FaI
n,er Collins bought Dandy, taking hin
A.. l. .- fs, arnfrnl IoNtFo for I'll
secund stage of his career.
Then came the fattening process
the "fnishing" process. The breedC
who produces calves with good beef pot
sibilties must know his game we'll n
less must the feeder know his game,
produce n good finished animal In II
shortest time and at the lowest col
possible II is not by chance that
prime steer is produced. In the preser
dav economies of cattle raising the COS
of feeding must be watched with n
greatest of care Poor judgment NEAR
a loss. Farmer Collins fed Dandy f
six months on a carefully mixed an
graded diet consisting for the mai'
part of Iowa corn.
Finally Dandy was ready for tn
market. Again he was loaded into
Ger. given his third railroad ride, thl
one consisting of 250 miles to the Ul
ion Stock Yards. Chicago.
In The Great Competitive Market
There was spirited dickering
the Union Stock Yards on the morI
ing that Dandy arrived. II was an "a
tive market, some two hundred an
sixty buyers, representing the pacl
- 80 Fflsfa~ ~
East, also representing scalpers
the Exchange, hold forth in the Unio
Stock Yards, and compete with eaC
other at the buying end OF the gam
Arranged against them are the con
mission firms who do the selling I,
the farmers. and are in the field, ma
urally, for as high prices as they ca
get. Here one may see the ironclf
economic law of supply and demand
fits full workings. II is a bait
ground. so to speak. on which barte
ing is conducted on a grand seal
where Supply on the one hand NEE
Demand on the other and fights out
rational compromise between the tw
Dandy, as the case happened. WI
purchased by Armour and Compan
In the scale house, as we were weig
ing him, Farmer Collins told us son
things which increased our estima
of Dandy as a product Of scientif
effort. Collins is a shrewd old En-
lishman, typical of that class OF farr
ers who have brought their methol
up TO date, and are still able to far
in these days OF high land values al
make money at 1t.
"The Government" said he, sis pc
forming an invaluable service 70 4
farmer in helping him to detect al
eradicate disease among animals;
teachir~ him scientific feeding, viii
means the best and most meat at I
lowest cost to produce; in teachi
him the principles of crop rotation a
in telling him how by fertilization
can make two ears OF corn gr'
/ where one grew before. With [
nracat,f hfoh nriceg Of land In TO-