The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-09-08
FARM AND GARDEN.
Improving 1--we Stock.

Tic present season offers opportunities for
those farmers who have not made 4 beginning
in the Improvement OF their stock, to do so,
such has not occurred heretofore, and may not
occur again for some time. We have constant
| ~ tsled to impress upon the minds OF our az
ricultura friends generally, the pecunlary al
vantage that occurs from raising good STOCK.
We have shown that it costs too much to raise
and iattcn inferior animals; it takes too long
to mature, and when they are finally turned
oil, the margin Of profit is very small Us a rule,
and often the balance is on the wrong side OF
the ledger. The difficulty with many has been
that they felt unable to incur the expense OF
buying animals with which TO make begin
ming First, in the case OF cattle the prices at
which improved animals have been held
hitherto have placed them beyond the reach OF
very many farmers; and in the next place had
the prices asked been more moderate, the pro
fits from farming among men OF small means
would hardly admit of purchasing But now
II fortuitous conjunction OF circumstances
places the matter in Il very different shape. 1t
is no longer ditficultto obtain good pure blood
ed stock at figures within the reach OF farmers
generally. The harvestS already gathered
have been abundant, and those too promises al
so to be very fruitful while the prospects OF
good prices were never more tiattcring than at
present.
Now is the time to turn these favorable cir
|cumstances TO account. The foundation OF
good class of cattle may be laid by large class
of farmers whose lands are adapted to grazing,
but who thus far have not begun to improve
their stock. Fashionable pedigrees and I'M
important characteristics are not essential for
while these may serve useful purpose in
many cases, the individual merit OF an animal
aS Iptprpl nod nv its 1Sntl,l pnalitipS nj
more importance to the farmer.
We have repeatedly called attention to the
fact that the foreign demand for American beet
requires the best class of stock that we can pro.
duce to compete with the English and Scotch
in their own markets Besides the demands
of our people are becoming more eXacting
The relative cost of producing beef from i'm.
proved and common cattle is so much in favor
ofthe former that it is simply great sacrifice
of food and time to feed and fatten the latter
for market The foreign demand will doubt.
less increase, and the home demand for good
beef become more cXacting as time passes, and
it behOOycS those who raise cattle sell for beet
to make note of these things We have
shown heretofore how easy it is to improve ma
tive cattle by cooperation among farmers Ill a
Ineighborhood but Il good bull of improved
breed can be had from 500 TO $500, and the
price vi ldlln plouuClS tHlS year VIII pldtc Il
large number of farmers in condition to buy
such animals without any division OF owner
ship. A score Of calves of the produce OF 4
single animal in single year will pay for him
| What is true Of cattle at this juncturc is also
true Of other classes of stock 1t is a very IA
vorable to begin in all departments Of stock
husbandry tina. are adapted to farmers wants
if Il start has not been made Indeed there i:
can be little excuse tortolerating poor stock OF
the farm and it is very probable that faI
greater improvement will be made the presen
season than has been previously known at any
time in the history of this country.-Ec.