The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-10-10
Raising Live Stock as a Business

of some kind have not only improved
but as a rule profit is secured. If the
stock on the majority of farms as now .
managed can be made to return a fair |
income above expenses, how much
greater the profits may be when the |
stock is strictly first class is not easily cs-
timated. A few months ago especial at
tention was called to lot Of sheep that |
had average l25 pounds when they |
reached the market, and yet such weight
is really light one But the buyers
were so accustomed to receiving sheep
weighing les than 100 pounds each that
the special lot referred to was deemed
worthy of mention in all the agricultural
journals. The secret of success there
fore, in raising live stock, as business,
is to keep only the best, discarding all
that do not come up to certain stand
ard.
With swine the farmers have done
well. To their credit it may be said thai
the best breeds have been generally
used and but few old-fashioned scrubs
are now seen as compared with twenty
years ago but although hundreds of i'm
proved cattle and sheep have been intro
duced into this this country, the progress
of improvement on the farms is slow in
comparison to what should be- though
the general average is somewhat better
than formerly.
The difficulty may be due to the fact
that farmers do not look upon their call
ing us a business; yet it is a business as
much us the selling of merchandise or
any other avocation. But few merchants
would venture their capital in an enter
prise and expect to succeed without first
consulting all the conditions necessary to
success, and the first and most important
duty they would perform would be that
of dealing in the newest, latest and best
articles merchant who should endeay-
or to compete with others by endeavor-
ing to realize a profit on inferior goods,
while entailing upon himself the same
expense that would be incurred in buy
ing and selling goods Of a better quality
would be looked upon as being deficient
in business capacity and lacking in enter
prise, while time would soon sec hin
plunged into bankruptcy, Yet, Us com
pared with the unenterprising merchant
the farmers are doing the same thinl
every year, being content with a nomi
nal profit, by only changing their system
of management they could easily derry,
double the amount. Farming is mucl
safer than investing in merchandise, a
is demonstrated by the fact that the.
usually manage to hold on to their farm
while hundreds of merchants fail an
nually. The farmer contents hims,
! with raising a steer that does not wcig
as much when four years Old rs an in
proved animal would at half that agD
and vet he invests as much capital f.
labor and food, to say nothing Of quarter
= and room, on the inferior animal as Ii
would have to do on the better one.
Z is not business method, and shows
k carclesness which is unnecessary. An il
vestment in any class of live stock shouI
not be for numbers, but for quality.
is much better to secure a profit Of 5.
from one animal than from two, as Il
capacity of the farm is increased by i
ing as much business as possible on Il
smallest possible area thereby lcssonil
e expenses. If the same results can
ID attained in two years as in four the cal
tai is reinvested and can be used to gre
err advantage A sheep weighing |
pounds when year old is worth twi
Its as much as a sheep Of the same wcig
at . years of age, for the reason tina
wears time is gained and another amin
can be quartered and fed on the sal
space. Live stock are profitable il
lat great many ways, but when stock-rai-j
as business is conducted strictly
business principles onr farms will y
we duce more than double the quantity
cd meat now secured while the profits y
be treblcd.-Record.
60
\ traveller describes natural brio
almost as interesting a. the Virginia {
iosity. spanning a cannon, about TIVE
miles north of the point where
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad crosses
boundary between New Mexico and
zonia. This bridge is siXty-tivc feet !
and fifteen feet wide at the marrow
point. 1t consists of tough grit rock
derneath which the softer sandstC
=; have been worn away to Il deptl
twenty-five to forty feet beneath
arch. Near by is 4 petriiied forest.
.. stone tree trunks lie just beneath
y soil. or half exposed, fallen in all d
, as tons. This point had never before
me visited by white man.
ute ado you sell stamps ?" "fes'
r Of "Two-cent stamps?" "Yes'm." 80
cents carries a letter, belieN
live "Yes'm." won't two ones ans
be- in place of a two ?" "Yes'm." g
ork, you change a dollar?" yes
mere feels in her purse and bring o
Canadian twenty-cent pi'
the en- take a two-cent stamp" &c
non take Canadian money, ma'a
"Whv not?' That's the RI
'oy, "Ahm Is crowded aside by an
ned patient man and makes ano
search. detroit Free Press.