Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-03-13
Stock, Horses and Grasses in
Iowa.
From Address of Hon. James Wilson at Month

will now enquire into the extern
of the probable demand for fine stock
Iowa has 3G million Of acres; very lit
tie is waste land, but if we admit one.
seventh is occupied by roads, lakes
rivers, villages, towns, cities and for.
ests, the State would have 1880
quarters section farms; when each
farm will have 20 cows, there will be
100000 in the State. The census of
1875 gives us 675, 552 cows, other cattle
l ,4Ol, 7l9 or a little more than twice
the number of cows. When the State
is settled up, and 20 cows is found on
each 16O acres, with thirty yearlings
and calves, we will have 9,375,OOO
this believe to be the capacity of
Iowa.
The State can sustain 20 millions of
population. But the limit we place
to-day, may move emile on the faces
of our successors fifty years hence.
There were returned by the assessors
for 1875, 1888 short horn cattle, or one
for. every 2l3 of our "other cattle. !"
Now if short horn is desirable these
figures show that it will be many
years before the State will have
enough. If one is enough for each
farm then our 1888 short horns must
be increased till each of the 1850
farms that are to be in Iowa can get
one. 1t is we'll settled that q short
horn will attain the weight in two
years that native will in four. The
farmer will not rest satisfied till he
has graded his herd till the highest
feeding qualities have been attained.
1t may be said that short horns can
be imported, but am confident that
our State has more than its quota
now. What is true of short horns
will apply to other thoroughbreds.
We are better supplied with short
horns than with any other improved
animal. Every village family should
keep q Jersey COW, but the census of
1875, only returned III. There is but
one reason why we cannot export
work horses to Europe where they
sell for $500, but the one, our horses
are too light. Mich cows sell for
$l25 across the Atlantic; we could
profitably export them if we had q
surplus. Tho Iowa farmer has close
competition now in the departments
of the farm, where the least intelli-
gence is needed. Our native cattle
are but little better than the Texans.
Russia has furnished Great Britain
nearly as much wheat in the last
twenty years as the United States.
British India is now exporting near
ly as much wheat as either the United
States or Russia. fit 10 distasteful
to compete in cattle raising with
those who direct all their operations
from the saddle, we must enter fields
where the herd boy and whip cannot.
If we dislike to compete with the
poorly paid labor of Russia and India,
we must devote ourselves to depart
ments that only exist near the school
house.
1 find itimpossible to speak or write
on agriculture in Iowa without re-
ferring to the great want of the State,
that is cultivated grass. While Iowa
has 81, 100000 acres of land she has
only 1,O55, $50 in cultivated grasses,
out of an acreage of 1885, 1896 re-
turend as improved in 1875. Moth
ing will make fine cattle take so kind
ly to our soil as good pasture. To
what excellence we can reach dare
not guess. know Of single acres in
Iowa that will Craze miIch COW all
summer. know of pastures that
will sustain, on an average, an animal
on an acre and half, and Of many
that will Craze full grown animals on
two acres. Fine cattle need no grain
while on such pastures. Grasses of
this kind will develop milking quail
ties; grasses of this kind will devel-
op young horses designed for heavy
work. When an acre of grass puts
200 punds of beef ON Q steer during
the season of seven months, the value
ofsuch land is greatly hey ond present