Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1871-08-03
Don't Sell the Best calves.

Areally choice cow will readily bring
eighty to one hundred dollars A cow
that will make one pound per day dur
ing six months, and half a pound per
day during two or three months more, is
cheaper at one hundred dollars, than
cow that will do half as much, would be
at fifty dollars. Poor cows are more
plen tiful than good ones and where
little or no attention is given to improv-
ing the stock, good COWS are fast becom-
ing scarcer If one wants to find good
cows, he has to follow the track of a
drover, who is constantly ranking over
the country places to supply the demand
of the large towns and great cities. Thus
the farming localities are being constant,
" depleted. But this would be of no
damage, if the supply was kept up, and
this constant dra # replaced with young
stock. Here lies the trouble. Not only
are COWS in demand but calves are equal
ly sought after. The farmer is constant,
~ tempted by droyers and butchers, from
far and near, to dispose of his calves
The majority of them can not Withstand
the futter of greenback ornamented
with large x. The choicest ca Ives are,
of course, selected, and these are general.
ly from the best COWS. Ten dollars is
thought to be good price for calf four
weeks old, and pays better than fifteen
for year. old animal. So would FIVE dol
lars bushel be high price for potato
sets but few farmers would be tempted
to tear them out of newly planted hills.
for that money, But does he not sell
the seed of a valuable crop, when be parts
with his best calves Many men say it
costs more to raise cow than to buy one,
This is palpably wrong. as will be seen
if they sit down and figure it out. But
if it were true nov, it could not long re-
main so for cows must be raised and
those who raise them must be paid pro-
ftably, or they will no do it. We con
fess thasthere is some ground for the
idea that 1t does not pay to raise COWS,
wrong as 1t may be, and it lies just here
The poorest calves are selected for rear
ing !; and as it costs as much, and some
times more, to feed poor calf from a.
poor COW, until maturity, when it probab-.
ly is worth twenty-five to thirty dollars
only, as it does to feed a good calf, that
would make cow worth double that
money at two years old. There is actual
" loss in the operation, and the farmers
is out of pocket, not only indirectly, but,
directly, in having spent more than he.
can get back again A merchant doing
business thus, would soon find work for,
an assignee or the bankrupt court; but
such are the advantages of the farmers
occupation, that he is able to live, and
often dc well, in spite of his unbusiness-
like methods. Let him make farming q
business let him calculate and figure out
results, as other men are obliged to do =
and it will be found that there is no oper-a
alton on the farm, but pays fair interest
over and above. a good remuneration for
labor and attention, if such labor and
attention are only we'll directed and
most surely will he find that there is
more money in good heifer- calf. than any
butcher could afford to give him, if be
will only give the animal time to show it.
So with a bull-calf /; if one is to be raised
select the best. 1t is by course Of
selection, that the present raoesof blooded
stock have been built up as it is bya
contrary course, that the native stock has
been run down. Our native stock has,
sprung from good sources. and if the best.
calves are retained on the farm, there.
will soon be better supply of good COWS.