Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-06-24
NO. 81

even necessary; but as the demand
for high-priced stock is confined
mainly to weli-known breeders them
selves, and is out of reach of the com
mon farmer, would not something of a
change be better? The ordinary farmer
is never likely to drop into the habit of
buying $500 COWS for milk, no matter
what the breed, and much less COWS
that cost $1,000, 81, 500 or $4,000, and
SO on up, with bulls to match. He places
no dependence on sales to his neigh
Dors at prices that will come anywhere
near remuneration for such invest
ments. His dependence is on milk,
butter and beef. What interests him
most, next to his sales, is to know the
best way to feed, winter and summer,
the crops that best promote his success
in dairying, and the mass of details
which affect these matters relating to
daily treatment, shelter, kinds of feed
for milk and butter, soiling or pastur-
age, construction of stock barns, care
and application of manures. and hosts
of kindred questions 1t is true all
these have been discussed at farmers
meetings and in farmers papers some
times practically, sometimes theoret-
ically-but still not to safety as long
as there is something more to learn
What is of the highest value IN these
matters is experience-careful, thor
ough detailed experience and re-
peated under many and vary
ing circumstances. Farming has,
perhaps, no points for demonstration
like a problem in geometry, but it's
facts can only be had byYears of patient
investigation. Now if our breeders
would change their methods somewhat,
and instead of being in haste to report
records and sales, would give full de-
tails and results in feeding we should
all learn great deal more. We get
quite good many records from high
priced stock, but the accompanying
details are meager. For instance, when
a COW gets a record of from eighteen to
twenty-five pounds of butter in single
week, we should know how, and exact
ly how much, she was fed for some
months previous to the test and what
the feed consisted of, and whether the
COW ran in a pasture or was carefully
soiled. But better than any weekly
record is a full one; that is, one extend
ing through the year, or from the time
one calf was dropped until the COW
went dry again, and the full details as
to feeding and care.
Then again, besides the facts as to
high-priced stock, we should have re-
suits with common stock, or even
scrubs" That certainly would be of
great interest in one sense, that of
comparing results under like circum-
stances with the results from high-bred
stock. We could tell better then
whether a farmer is justified III trying,
at a large outlay, to get start with
''pedigreed stock" or whether his
common rubbish can ever be brought,
by good feeding and care within gun
shot as to yield of his neighbor's Jer-
seys, Holsteins or Shorthorns. True,
we have learned a great deal already,
for instance. that high-bred animals
usually produce their like, and that
common stock may produce almost
ANYTHING; and that III feed ng for beef
il s bo 70 keen nn ra'ri IT " f'nm
birth to slaughtering time, and many
other facts that leave 20 doubt that
pure breeds are superior to common
stock; but we can not gauge with
sufficient accuracy the amount and
value of this difference. 1t should be
demonstrated again and again before
farmers how much they are losing by
neglect, and the methods made known,
by which the results are reached. Then
the wall Of prejudice that surrounds
them will be oVerthroWn.- Breeder s
Gazette.