The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-07-11
TOPICS FOR THE FARM,
Work for Agricultural Colleges


Agriculture, of all industrial pur-
suits, most needs the knowledge gained
through accurate experiment. Farmers
have been so long accustomed to follow
mere traditional routine, with no accu-
rate investigation of the basis on which
it rests, that real progress has been
slower than in any other department of
human labor. The rearing and feeding
of stock for all the various purposes re-
lating to human welfare form an inter-
est SO large and of such vital Importance,
not only to our home interests but to
our foreign commerce and the balance
of trade, that the most accurate scientific
and practical experiments are required
to determine the physiological and
economic laws that govern animal
nutrition.
The two great classes of animal pro-
ducts that swell our foreign commerce
cattle and swine-produced for the
year ending June 80, 1877, an aggregate
exports of 1929. .3S2, ,202-that is cattle
products, including the dairy, al, ,029.-
$50; and swine product, $82, 1852, ,222.
This is nearly one-fourth of all our ex-
ports, aside from coin and bullion, and,
under good management in the future
these products are likely to reach much
greater proportions. The cattle pro-
ducts. especially, may be doubled in a
few years. The value of these products,
for export, depends SO largely upon
| quality, that only tie best beef pays any
profit. The most economical method of
growing and fattening these animals,
| of producing butter and cheese, is the
| important matter now to be discovered.
Farmers, as a class, do not investi-
gate; they do not now even see the
necessity of such investigation; but
after experimenters have worked out a
better way, they may be prevailed upon
to adopt it. Agricultural colleges were
endowed by the nation to extend just
this aid to agriculture, to become the
investigating, informing mind of in.
dustry. The college farm is expressly
for experiment, and is intended to be
equipped with all the appliances nee
essary for illustrating the specialties il
agriculture carried on in the regio1
where it is located. Here are. or should
be, all the faculties necessary in the
dairy region, for determining, by accur
ate xperiments, the comparative value
of the different breeds of COWS, noting
the weight of the animal, the amour
of food consumed, percentim of weight
the milk yielded per day, and for {
given quantity of food, the milk re
quired from each breed for pound o
, butter and cheese, the relative proper
ton of butter and casin in the milk O
each breed, the effects of various food
I upon each breed In the laying on of fiesl
, and production of milk, the effect O
different conditions of food, cooked o
) raw, succulent, partially or wholly cure
: into hay, as well as economy Of pastul
a ing or soiling animals, considered wit
: reference to the quantity of land, capita
e and labor required by each system. L
4 short, here should be taken into cor
Q sideration every fact which will test tn
r productive value of each breed for tn
It purposes of the dairy under precisel
e the same circumstances. This system
carried out at dozen experiments
d farms for q few years, would effectuall
is settle the comparative value of tl
h different breeds for the dairy, and tt
y most economical manner of breeding an
feeding them. These experiments alo1
,r would be worth more to practical agl
10 culture than the whole cost of the e
r. dowment of the colleges.
A like system Of experiments shou
st also be conducted in the breeding al
as feeding animals for beef, pork al
O. mutton-with accurate incidental e
periments showing the physiology
tn animal digestion, and thence the tr
lie scientific method of feeding to produ
| the highest result with a given amou
o, of food. When will our agricultul
to colleges begin these experiments whi
at shall be vindication of the wisdom
ms their endowment?