Actually, throughout the 1800's, the cattle were more likely to be dual-purpose. The heifer calves were raised to be milked, and the bull calves were castrated and fed for beef. Of course, the worn-out milkers were likely slaughtered and eaten also. The "factory farms" that required the high-yielding holstein cows did not really come into being until the early 1900's. And don't forget that artificial insemination is a modern concept - there were a lot more bulls around then. They would also have been slaughtered for meat when no longer needed for reproduction. Or when they got to be too dangerous to keep around. Pauline Merrick Brookfield, MA -- "Marcia Payne" <etexgal@webtv.net> wrote: I'm sort of embarassed to ask, but the beef they slaughtered to eat, was it a Dairy cow ? Or did they have Beef cattle back then...I really don't know and just thought about it...ugh. Marcia ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MAWORCES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ____________________________________________________________ Click here to find the perfect picture with our powerful photo search features. http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/fc/BLSrjpYR2bnyMcXsHkRVfaGPI7jdjogaSdOi9xqimgPBuU6rUwRqn005qXO/