The Elbert County tribune., 1917-06-29

Beeause the average consumer pre-.
fers the size and quality of the cuts
obtained from the carcass Of a we'll
bred, highly finished yearlIng, the mar
ket price for what Is known as baby
beef is usually both little higher and
a little more stable than that for any
other class of cattle. From the farm
er's point of view the production of
baby beef mems that he can get more
gains for the same quantity of feed
than with mature cattle, that he can
turn over the money Invested in his
live stock in shorter time, that he
can obtain for his young heifers up
proximately the same price as for his
steers, which is not true when market
Ing is put Off until the animals are old
er, and that he can within limits de-
fer or hasten the date of marketing as
market conditions dictate. For these
reasons the baby beef industry Is in
creasing rapidly In popularity through
out the country.
In Farmers Bulletin 81 the best
methods of breeding and handling baby
beeves are discussed In detail. The
first conclusion of this publication is
that the right kinds of cows and bulls
should be used. In selecting cows
from which baby beef is 20 be produced
three important factors should be kept
in mind:
i. The cows should have at least a
fair amount of beef blood. Purebreds
are not necessary, but two or three
crosses of such breeding are essential.
Cows with preponderance of dairy
blood will not do for the production of
baby beef.
2. Cows best suited for this type of
breeding usually weigh 900 pounds or
over in thrifty breeding condition. AS
long as early maturity Is not sacri-
feed, the heavier cows are the most
suitable for baby-beef production. Size
Of frame rnther than weight should
govern the selection of cows which
are to be used for this purpose.
8. The cows used to produce baby
beeves should produce enough milk to
keep the calves fat and growing with
out much additional feed up to wean-
ing time.
In addition to these three factors,
color, size. and early maturity should
be considered.
Type Of Bulls to Be Used.
AS general rule 1t may be said that
lack Of excellence in any one or all
Of the aforementioned points IN the
COW may be offset through additional
excellence in the herd bull. Some bulls
seem to have sufficient prepotency to
stamp their own excellence Of form,
type and quality upon their calves re-
gardless of the kind OF cows In the
herd. Such bull is very valuable
asset to any bI eeder, and 1t is unfor-
tunate that we cannot tell absolutely
what bull will do in this respect
until his offspring are seen. A bull
coming from line of ancestry which
has been noted for its excellence OF
type, quality. milk-producing ability.
and early maturity, is more than likely
to be producer of animals like him
self. This, together with individual ex-
cellence in the bull, is the only stand
ard we have for forecasting the type
OF calves which an untried bull will
get. For the producer of baby beef the
additional sum paid for good bull is
money well spent.
Above all, breeder in selecting a
bull should procure one of good beef
form and with strong tendency
toward earliness of maturity. To n
very large extent the breeders success
In raising and feeding baby beeves will
depend upon the bulls ability to trans
nit this latter character to his calves.
Quality and excellence of form in
calves cannot be obtained from poor
breeding.
Calves Suitable for Baby Beef.
Calves to qualify as baby beef must
have quality and finish. The consumer
does not want the unfinished yearling
and the calf that does not have quality
will not take on high finish. Neither
will the calf lacking in early-maturing
qualities fatten during the latter part
of the feeding period, hut instead 1t
will use most of the feed which it
consumes for growth. Keeping this
In mind, the feeder should first deter
mine whether his calves are good
enough to compete on the fat-yearling
market, and If he decides that they are
not, they should be finished off on
coarser feeds for later market.
The wide, deep-bodied, thick-heshed
calf with short legs and an abundance
Of quality as indicated by fineness of
hair, texture of skin, smoothness Of
flesh. and general refinement about the
head and other parts of the body Is
the type best suited for making prime
baby beef. Uniformity In size, weight
and color should not be overlooked, be-
cause such factors are an advantage
n marketing. These points are of
great importance in selecting calves to
Ne finished as baby beef. and they de-
serve the strictest attention.