Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-30
Farmers Institute.
Summer and Winter Feeding Compared.

BY A. o. FOX OF OREGON, DANE CO., WIS.
am somewhat embarrassed to APP
pear here today in the role of an in
structor to such an audience as this.
There are men in this state whose age
and ripe experience entities their opin.
IONS to greater consideration than mine.
Feeling this, at first refused to come,
but being farther pressed felt that il
my small mite could be of any help,
would freely give it in SO good cause
The subject assigned to me is one Of
so great Importance and occupies SC
vast field that to do justice to it in {
brief essay is impossible.
/ shall simply undertake to delineate
the salient features, in as clear high
as possible so as to fix in your mind.
the prominent facts, with the hope
that by future thought and discussion
they may be elaborated upon.
Tie nature of my subject is such tha
it can hardly be treated under the title
of Summer and Winter Feeding" be
cause of its scope, its great diversity
and its varied bearing upon the differ
ent branches of farming. 1 will there.
fore speak upon 1.-The Problem OF
Cattle Feeding in Southern Wisconsin. !"
To the general farmer the cattle
business of Southern Wisconsin is
divided into two branches, that OF
dairying and feeding for beef. will
speak only of the latter. Leaving the
technical subject of breeds uadscussed
there comes the vital propositions.
What class of cattle are best adapted
to our needs for making beef, How
can we produce them the cheapest and
feed them with the greatest economy,
At what age had we best sell and al
what time or times of the year shall we
sell? In determining these questions
we are at once presented with the prime
economical factors of the demand,
supply and cost of production. From
about the first of September to the end
of each year, may be seen train load
after train load of western grass cattle
amounting to thousands daily sold upon
the Chicago market. The net return
to their growers is found by only de,
Quoting from their selling price, the
commissions, cost of labor, transporta
ton and interest on capital. Now ado
to this the interest on the money, in
vest in our farms and the exorbitan,
real estate taxes which we have to pay
and we have approximated the price
which we would have to get from the
same cattle. 1t is plain to see the folly
of our attempting to raise and sell this
class OF cattle or compete against them.
We must produce class of cattle
which they cannot and place them
upon the market at such times of the
year as are impracticable for them to
get there with theirs We need only
spend day in the Chicago stock yards
to learn which class of cattle are the
mos: sought, the hardest get and fetch
ing the highest price. Right here l
want to say, if we expect ro raise any
thing that is going to sell for high
price, we must try to have something
hot 10 hat nd tn oth ha
everybody else hasn't got some just
like it. We must know that if it is
easy to get everybody will have some
of it, and it will be cheap. A striking
illustration of this is found in hog rails
ing. Suppose the market price goes
up, within four months from that time
every orchard in the great corn belt
has its fence corners full of little pigs
and In eight months the hog market OF
the world is glutted. Where is the
price gone to thenP Who pays the loss
to the grower? Don't misunderstood
me. regard hog raising as good
business when properly connected with
diversified stock farming, but it is toe
easily overdone to be depended upon
by itself for returning any regular
revenue. Our question was, "whai
class of cattle are the most sought, and
fetching the highest price?" Here
is a copy of the Chicago Drover's
Journal. guess every stockman in
Wisconsin knows that paper. In its
review of the cattle market 1t says,
Values were strong for choice quail.
tiles, while inferior cattle sold slowly.
There were some rough cattle that were
extremely hard to SELL" This para.
graph has great weight of meaning
in it, and affords us splendid lesson
if we will only learn it.
Among their sales they quote as fol-
lows In order to make comparisons
of their qualities have selected two
sales from each sort as near an aver
age as possible and cattle whose weights
are nearly the same. There were 81
shipping steers averaging 1190 sold for
f. Is while 80 dressed beef steers aver
aging 1885 (only lbs less) sold for
$50. difference of Csc per hundred.
Another lot of shipping cattle averag-
ing 1920 sold for 1921 while lot Of
dressed beef cattle averaging 1921 Il Ii
heavier) sold for 25 difference of 37I
per hundred Again those choice grade
yearlings averaging 1887 sold for $3.50
while lot of dressed beef steers aver.
aging 1875 (1S lbs heavier) sold fol
800, difference of Coo per hundred
These sales serve to show us that the
price is not governed wholly by the
weight. 1t is the finish, the quality and
ripeness, the ability to dress the mos
net meat which makes it valuable
Another fact; those heaviest steers are
5 to years old and the last wears gain
is exceedingly small in proportion tc
the enormous amount of food consumed
So that if sold at the same, or even 8
higher priceathan the medium weight
steers-which are q year younger
they do not net near so much money
This know from my own experience
and | believe am backed by the better
authority of the most successful far
-. 10 Ii