HEIFER AND STEER BEEF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 82, 31 December 1907, Page 2

HEIFER AND STEER BEEF.

; B UTCHERS AT FAULT. ' ' : -;"' : ■ Now Zealand farmers 'concerned in' thd beef trade will read with interest-.the fojlow-.! ing section of an, American.report ments .upon, heifers and; steers:— ..!- s - ■!<"•'' - -"In the first trial fire,, animal's were .used-!; ■in; each lot; one lot being steer's,■•:another"v spoyed heifers,-; and a ihird opeii heifers. They wero Shorthorns of like breeding)'andtreated alike previous 'to, the tests.,',.The'' steers made the larger gain, and■soid'-at.Jd. ' po'r. lb. more than the heifers. .The stfere' made an average gain in elevenirnonths -of.-. 8061b., and one heifer clear of calf made' 77.51b. When slaughtered the. carcases', we.rev examined .-:by.<any expert, .->and' the'-- •beifdrs;;. were found to giro a • larger • percentogeAof''. prime cuts than the steers,- so. that'-'-bti' the'"< basis of meat and'by-products obtained; -the l heifers woro worth: fully id.' per lb;- : .tttd're>than was paid for them. Creditih'g<each?lot! with the actual. value ,of the different ifeuts* and the by-products,- and not'including the expenso of killing and handling,-it--.was calculated that. thoTbutcher made 'about three times as much but of the heifers as out... of the bullocks;-'-:'..:.-.' l ' ">' : '.'•- 1\ '■ ' '■','■ , >7 ; -AyV i f . , "The second, trials'were niade. With fifteen pure-bred Heref'ords. : TheVanimals "were (fro-1 portioned as before, and in this case 'the gain by the open heiferswas'l.B6lb. being, greater than 'either..of'-'tho -other' Id'ts/ and that.too with-less food and;at'less,cost.-; There-was very little diffcre'nce' l .between the' other two lots,. either; as regards'' gain? per ) day or cost of the gain, ffidugh'the.ieifers ■ had the advantage. ; Carofully-conducteil' slaughter and block tests failed.to - showany. difference in .the quality l of'•,the ■meat,', ajf .' though, tho percentage of high-priced, cuts', ribs, and loins was' greater in "both lots of ' heifers than in the case, of the steers. ,It 'has been claimed : that in ■■ heifer-, carcases •■ there is a greater percentage of fat, thereby rendering them of less "value to the consumer. The. report concludes:—'lt-.was; olv ' served in this', and. other that •■ under similar conditions' heifers ;ar& inclined;.' to take on'flesh a little more .readily' l than- : * bullocks; .Larger.gains by-the.'.heifers' may'., not bo shown,, but.there.is'a tohdeiicv'td ' finish at an earlier .stago in the ■process o£f at-: tening..,. : The diffe'fence r between-.'bullo§ks'flnd•? ■heifers'.,.in .this, respect! when 'j sanio'.conditions,.','h'as, -.als'b \ begri..'-'.noted;;.by. practical stock'ihen-.fced.mg onian scale.; The'fact'is' omp i hasisecl, ii that' l ]i ; beef has been much iiiiJcr,-est™ated\,v (Since;' in both' trials'; the heifers.' returned- l s higher net-profit on,'."tK?." block -than '-• thS .st'eors;- ho'twithst'anduig . the "fact-thai;'., th<( steer 'beef was'vrated'.higher-thau'the ; ,heif,er\' beef. So far as coiild be learned ffomVtWse', experiments, speying had • no particular Xya? fluence on.the gains made.": ,' ... .'.'. ,\- K ; ".,.)