Henry Baird Favill, AB, MD, LL.D., 1860-1916, a ... - University Library

5i6 HENRY BAIRD FAVILL
as they are to-day on the plains are just as though we were
dealing with another class of animals as compared to that
early day. In those days there were unshapely, meager,
rough, long-horned, essentially scrub cattle, all over the
western plains. To-day such a thing as a herd of scrubs
on the western plains is almost unknown. You often see
cattle that are not in good condition, but you do not see any
that do not bear the stamp of some breeding.
Now, what brought this about? It was the intelligent
thought of the big range men who were engaged in that
enterprise. I say big men, because any business that runs
up into thousands of head of cattle, no matter what kind,
is a big business and requires big men at the head of it.
Early the thought came to those men that they must have
a better type of cattle and consequently the West was soon
covered with purebred bulls.
What is the result? It has been many years since any
man on the plains would think of running his herd without
purebred bulls. The result of it is that you see on the plains
cattle that are shapely, of good conformation, of uniform
type, uniform in color, and in all respects animals showing
the mark of intelligent breeding by reason of the fact that
bulls of the right character have been used upon these herds.
Now what is the advantage of this? Is it worth all that
is put into the business? Is it worth the expense to have
them look better, to have them more uniform in shape and
color? Those are the obvious facts. Of course that isn't
the point at all. The point is that the animal which has been
produced by this method of the purebred breeder is from the
financial standpoint a more economical animal. In other
words, he is an animal which transforms food into beef to a
better advantage.
Now that is the whole thing. Looks will not help it.
Taste will not help it. Is it a more economical product,
economical in that sense of the relation of the feed, length
of feeding, and the final beef? There isn't a question about