EARLY MATURITY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 456, 15 March 1909, Page 2

EARLY MATURITY.

Tlio economic, importance of early maturing propensities in cattle and sheep'has been brought out. in striking figures in tlie various feeding experiments conducted in connection with the Kast of Scotland Agricultural College, Edinburgh. Mr. \V. JJruce, under whose direction most of tlio experiments in the famous stock-fattening district of which Kdinburgh is the centre have been carried out, has been, impressing upon Lothian farmers the iinancial advantage of encouraging to the utmost degree, consistent with the maintenance of health, rapid fattening in both cattle and slice]). In tho first place, a young, animal gives a hotter return for the food consumed than one that, has attained full growth and which utilises a larger proportion of the food in supplying, the needs of the system. The live weight records of exhibits at the fat stock shows confirm the truth of this assertion, as, tho daily rate of gain diminishes in proportion to the ago of the animal. Consequently, the slock owner who contrives to have his cattle and sheep ready for tho fat market at the youngest possible age, obtains a larger, profit than his neighbour who adopts a. less forcing system. The reasons given by Mr. Bruce for tho cconomy of fattening at an cai jy age #r» intelligible, and some of them rather ingenious. "While the young animal turns to uso fill account more of the. nutritious proper* ties of its food than its older • neighbour, its carcass contains a higher percentage ol water, which realises the price of good meat. If this theory is correct, v'oung beef and mutton, though juicy and palatable, niusi be less nutritious than the meat from animals of maimer age, and therefore thera would seem to bo substantial ground for tho contention that the general run of meat of the present day is inferior to the bullock beef and wether mutton of a generation ago. The craze, for small joints lias also been an importanr factor in populai ising early realisation, as, pound lor pound, what are known as handy weights fexeh higher prices than full-grown cattle and sheep.