Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-11-17

Many Farmers are prone 10 Keep c;ll!ip.
sheep. and sometimes hos till the period
wh'n sl.rv have little vau" in any market.
They ;,crnr.linr'v continue 10 feed them
lunr after they have ''OIIilived their USE
fuln"->." When they become aware OF
the fact that they are no longer profitable
they seek to >-ll them. but can find no
purchaser. They then think about fat
| trnng them. hut the season is SO far adj
vanr"d that the ~ra>S nearly is all gone.
and they must hrpreparcd for the butcher
10y feeding them grain or other exprn-
>ve sort of food. II is often the case
that an animal fa,tened on corn AMI
other expensive kinds of food will not
bring a> much rs the food costs. 1t is
not fed to them till the weather be-
comes cold and most of the fattcning
material il contained is consumed in gen
Grating heat or repairing the waste in the
system. In many cases the teeth of the
animals are poor and they are not able
to chew their food properly. In other
eases their digestive apparatus is i'm
paired. and the grain they eat produces
little fat or muscle.
Farmers, or the members of their
families. often become attached to certain
animals and keep them, not for the
good they now do. or for any they are
expected to do in the future, but for the
good they have done. This sort of Scnti-
mentality is commcndable, as it gives
evidence of kindly feelings, but it is very
expensive, and an indulgence in it to
considerable extent will be very certain
to render a stock-raiScr poor. With rare
exceptions only quite young animals are
profitable to keep. Every farm animal
reaches an age when its value begins to
steadily decline, no matter how well it
may be fed and cared for. What is true of
| animals is also true of all kinds of fowls
All kinds of farm stock should be dis
posed of before this period of decline is
reached. Only animals and fowls in
good vigor can be fattened easily, and
made to bring fair price in the market
of the year to carefully look over the live
stock they have and determine what
animals and fowls are profitable to keep
over another winter. Meat of all kinds
is high, and that afforded by inferior
animals will probably sell for rs much
the coming fall and winter as it will at
anv future time. Farmers often winter
animals and find that they are worth less
in the spring than they were in the
previous fall. They have eaten large
amount of hay and grain. and required
a great amount of care, anu have been
subjected to many dangers, but are not
able to command the price they would
several months before. There is moth
ing to show for the food they have eaten
| except few loads of manure. The
record of the cows kept for giving milk
should be carefully examined, and if it is
not good the inferior animals should be
prepared for the butcher. Few persons
engaged in general farming keep good
dairy stock. They have ordinarily sew
eral general purpose cows-that is,
cows that will breed calves of fair quail
ty as beef-producers, and which
will give some milk for quite limited
period. They are not cows. however.
which an intelligent dairyman would
keep for term of years, even if he
could obtain them as a gift. These in
fcrior mixers should be converted into
beef, and their places supplied by cows
that will give double the amount of milk.
Most dock-masters agree in the opinion
that it is not desirable to keep sheep
that can be converted into mutton after
they are four years old. They will pro-
duce large ileeces and drop good lambs
| after that time, but their value as meat
producing animals will begin to decline.
1t will require more food. and that of
better quality, to fattcn them as they be-
come old. and their flesh will be of less
value. AS to fowls, no one wishes to
buy those that are old, however fat they
may be.-Chicago Times.