THE BEEF SHORTAGE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1837, 25 August 1913, Page 10

THE BEEF SHORTAGE.

■ All the world over there is a growing aversion to the drudgery of rearing calves, with the result that the scarcity of growing stores is becoming acute. Everywhere it woiild appear dairy farmers aro concentrating their attention upon the production of milk, and neglecting tlio beeving qualities of tho offspring of their herds; they are sacrificing everything to tho niflk market, and the consequence is a dearth of grazing bullocks. It seems that the only feasible solution of the problem is* either for the graziers to rear their own requirements or for the dairy farmers to pay more attention to dual'purposo strains, and breed aud rear a class of cajf, that will fatten readily at an early ago. Tho outlook for the grazing interest is not encouraging so far as the supply of gound stock is concerned. One cannot blame tho farmer for adopting the plan that brings him the best and quickest return, says an cxchango, atid it is a point against the raising of store stock feat it means slower realisation than in the case of dairy produce. . Even if the calves receive only a lmited supply of new milk, they occupy room and coilsumo food that might be better given to cows, and it is because of its interference with the output of milk that calfrearing is so seldom adopted 011 a dairy farin. If the right class of bull-were used, the money returns, if slower, would probably not compare unfavourably with those from cows, but it is difficult to induce tho average dairy farmer to discard the cheap sire ho has Wen in the habit of' considering good enough for'his purpose.