The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-03-18
ABERDEEN-ANCUS CATTLE


in agriculture, is taken from recent
(. ISSUE of The Farm Home. 1t was
written by F. H. Higgins, who is con-
sidered to be exceptionally well post
ed on the subject. The article is
timely because it is related to the big
sale Of Aberdeen-Angus cattle to be
held in Saginaw, next week Friday,
March &c. F. ]. WILDER, of Thet-
ford, is one of the prominent breed
ers of Aberdeen-Angus cattle in the
state and will participate actively in
this sale, large detailed advertise
rnent of which appears in another
column. Following is the article as
copied from Farm & Home:
When Christopher Columbus dis
covered America in 1892, he opened
up new world. The following
year he began improving Americas
live stock by importing some Spanish
cattle. The descendants of those
cattle increased to stock the ranges
Of Mexico and the United States.
Today one may still see them in great
areas of the South, the Southwest
and the countries south of the Rio
Grande. They are no better, often
worse, than the original cattle, ex-
.cept where purebred sires have been
brought in to cross on the native fe-
males. Thus was our beef cattle
industry built up, or rather carried
along, until the Shorthorn, then the
Hereford, and finally the Aberdeen
Angus were imported to improve this
Spanish stock. Times changed rap
idly with the breaking up of the
Range, the rise of value of land, feed
and labor; and today we have the
baby beef" going to the market at
the age of 1920 months. In the
last twenty years, this transformation
mas largely taken place. The great
est influence in this change has been
the International Live Stock xExposit-
ron, held annually at Chicago, and the
greatest vehicle on which the early
maturing, labor-saving, market-top-
ping cattle rode has been the Aber-
ieen-Angus. This breed has set the
pace for the readjustment of beef
making. This is true on both sides
Of the water. The first yearling steer
TO be made a grand champion at the
international was an Aberdeen-Ang-
us, and the first carload to attain
this homer vas the same kind. The
first two year-old to lower the age
limit at the Old Country's Smith
field show was an Aberdeen-Angus in
1881, and at the last show of that
famous gathering, only a few weeks
ago, yearling Aberdeen-Agus won
he high honor, breaking under the
two-year-old line for the first time.
The name "baby beef" originated at
the Chicago market with load of Ill
inois Aberdeen-Angus several years
ago. The worlds record for dress
ing percentage also is held by the
Aberdeen-Angus, a two-year-old at
The Smithfeld show, dressing 76A
per cent, six or seven per cent higher
than what we ordinarily think of as
nigh dressing. However, dressing is
not all in quality meat, as in marb-
ling, or the mixing of fat and lean.
Aberdeen-Angus possess the ability
20 carry this out as no other breed,
and butchers always ask for Aber-
deem Angus beef for fancy markets
where it is available. With the in
augnration of the international Live
Stock Exposition in 1900 at Chicago,
Aberdeen Angus came to the front
and have stayed there ever since.
Now that the eighteenth international
mas been held, summary of the inter
breed steer grand championships
shows Aberdeen-Angus won 81 to z
for the Herefords, and 6 for the
Shorthorns, 2 for cross-breeds and /
for mixed. The year just ended
was distinctly the greatest in the
history of the Aberdeen-Angus. The
breed advanced farther and faster
than in any other similar period of
zine since it came to America.
Single steer victories always stand
out in the popular mind as of the
greatest Importance, and here, as us
ual, the Aberdeen-Angus has won its
share and the Aberdeen-Angus share
is usually rated at rs to 80 per cent
of the possible chances. The car
cass contests or demonstrations,
which have been so sweeping for the
Aberdeen-Angus wherever put on,
continue to roll up victories for them,
though the contest is very unpopular
with other breeds and is held only at
the International on anything like a
big scale. At the last international,
Aberdeen-Angus won their seven
teenth successive grand champion
ship, having the first prize carcass in
each class. The steers were judged
by two different butcher experts, one
placing the steers on the hoof and
the other judging the meat after the
animals were slaughtered. The second
Judge has only the hideless carcass
to guide him, and has no means of
telling how the first judge placed the
animals. Not since 1900 has any
thar hraad vvon tho caroaaq contaet