The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-09-07
FIELD AND FARM.

COOP STOCK-For farmer who is rear
ing stock for market it is as necessary
that he should breed good animals as it is
that he should feed them well /; and if he
wishes them to thrive it is indispensable
that he gets good blood. If the female
portion OF his stock are only fair to mid
ding, good animals may be produced by
always using good and pure bred male.
Of cOurse it is not expected of the farmer
that he should use or purchase those an
finals having all their points and pedi-
grees up to the standard of perfection,
because they bring fancy prices. But
he can do this: avoid the purchase or use
of the narrow chested, the weak loins,
the thin chine, and the hard, thin, parch.
ment like hide of bull or COW, and
hereditary defects and unsound feet and
legs in horse. OF course farmers can
not afford to buy, for breeding grade
stock, the best animals at public sales,
but they can buy and select second or
third best stock, which is better than to
have the best of bad lot.
Some farmers have a nice lot of cows
and mares, but ruin their produce by an
Indifferent bull or stallion, when if they
would use good sire they could not
fail to breed stock that would be better,
command more money, and be ready for
market months before the Indifferent
bad ones.
To breed and feed economically is of
the greatest importance and to do it
with profit to the farmer, judgment
must be used and exercised in the breed
| ing and selection of well-bred animals,
either cattle, horses, sheep or hogs. If it
pays to raise any of these, it must pay
| better to breed and rear the better class
of each. Another important item to
| farmers is the relative value of feeding
stufis, and the English say that Al lbs. of
wheat is as good as As lbs. of peas, or "a
lbs. of barley, or 30 lbs. of oats, or 81
lbs. of beans, or 90 lbs. of clover hay, or
100 lbs. of ordinary hay, or 200 lbs. of
potatoes, or $50 lbs. of cabbage, or 275
lbs. of carrots, or 1897 lbs. of beets, or 475
lbs. of green clover, or 500 lbs. of turnips,
or 308 lbs. of oats or barley, or 400 lbs.
of wheat or bean straw. Of course no
one food is suitable to be fed alone; all
alimentary substance must be given with
a view to some purpose. Young animals
require food rich in mineral and albumi-
nous substances, to make bone, fat, and
keep up the animal heat; and combined
with good food must be cleanliness,
warmth, good ventilation, and unremit-
ting attention. If those requisites are
all present, and the animals regularly
| fed, the farmer cannot fail to succeed.
In the American Rural Home of June
q T. b. Root says: "The idea prevails
with many farmers that lands can be
wholly restored to their original fertility
by the blowing in of clover or other
green crops, but it is an error in theory
and also in practice. That lands can be
greatly benefited by this operation there
is no doubt; but the benefit is more in
the mechanical condition than in the
quality of the soil. There are lands in
some localities that are go strong in the
mineral element that to supply the or
ganic to keep it loose and mellow will pro-
duce good crops for many years with no
other manures. But they will ultimately
fail to produce good grain. The grain
grown on soils deficient in mineral mat
ter will be of poor quality, and will make
no such quality of fouer as that grown
thirty or forty years ago, nor will 1t make
any such quantity per pushel. Then a
barrel of extra flour was made from four
and quarter bushels Of wheat. Now it
takes nearly five bushels to make barrel
of poorer quality. Our wheat is def
Gent in the phosphates, because those
elements are deficient in the soil on
which IL is grown. Grain of all kinds
when grown on soils rich in the mineral
elements, is much more valuable than
that on lands deficient, for the reason
that the soil can not produce that which
it does not contain. 1t is not in this
section of country alone that the quality
Of grain is declining, but wherever lands
have grown grain exclusively for a term
of years the same results are seen.
Every farmer is convinced that we
must use some fertilizer to keep our lands
in condition TO grow grain pro6tably.
Clover was our reliance formerly, with
barn-yard manure of the farm. We now
think it expensive to pillow in clover for
an uncertain crop. If commercial ma
nures can be proftably used we shall soon