Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-12-27
FOR THE FARMER.
Some Interesting Points on the Raising
and Care of Live Stock-TreeS as
Protection Against Wind.
How to Construct Granary-Warm
Water for Stock-Dung Versus Ar
tificials-Abusing Horses.
SOME POINTS ABOUT LIVESTOCK.


Another thing that brings loss is
poor farm stock, cattle that, even by
the best management, can hardly do
more than pay for their keeping. says
a writer in the Elmira HuSbGndnlGn.
Some observer who has made this
subject of careful study has said that
in the state of New York one-fourth of
all the cows kept is not only proftless,
but these cows do not pay in their pro-
ducts for what they eat Another
fourth, as estimated, barely pays cost
of keeping. The next fourth pays so
little profit that it about balances loss
on the first lots so there is but one
fourth left from which really profta-
BILE returns may be had. do not say
that these estimates are strictly accur-
ate, but l am satisfied that they APP
proXimate truth so nearly that if the
angel of destruction were to 90 over
the state tonight and kill all of the
first lot the state would gain by the
act. Then the second lot might be
spared without loss. We can't afford
to keep cattle for fun. If they give
no profit there can be no inducement,
especially when we reflect that with
suitable care in selection and wise
management, fair profits may be real
lied and as much fun as the farmer
can find in this branch of his business.
Right here let me say there is no
profit in feeding, full-grown animal
to make meat. If you feed steeryou
must get one that has room for growth,
for developments, a young animal.
There is one great difference in breeds,
even between animals of the same
breeds. What we want is the best,
and we can not afford certainly
we can not afford to keep animals that
bring only loss. Then there is another
requirement. We must feed better
Many farmers lose because they do
not feed enough. What would you
think of man who owned a saw-mill
and kept just fire enough to make
steam to run the machinery? He
might tell you: Bring your logs, you
see the mill is running" You would
say: Eyes, but there is no force to do
the work; the mill can not cut lumber,
unless more steam is applied" Well,
that is the way many farmers feed
their cattle-just enough to run the
machinery, and the whole is wasted.
By this method there can be but one
return-loss. More steam more food
is the only way to profit. Take the
value of PIG in fall as starting
point, then feed him until spring and,
find his value just the same-is it not
clear that all the food is lost? He has
had the maintenance ration, and it has
been thrown away because there was
not some addition to make profit. AS
10 COWS, it has been shown thatin New
York three acres of land are required
for the keeping of each. 1t is a fact
that hundreds of COWS consume each
annually all the products of five acres.
Now it is possible to keep cow we'll
on an average of COW to the acre.
There are instances of still better
keeping cows to two acres,
with some food bought to increase
milk products. This means rations so
well balanced that the COWS may do
their best, and to do this we must
know what the animal economy re-
quires. | have never seen better pas
lures than / saw in England last sum-
mer, but the cows on those pastures
have daily rations of grain, roots, cot
ton-seed meal, or something to supple
ment those fine pastures, always some
thing more than was supplied by the
grasses. That addition gave profit in
the products, and another point of
great Importance is that liberal feed
ing makes the land rich. There is
something to put back. | noticed,
with a sense of shame, that these En-
glish farmers had great quantities of
cotton-seed meal that we are so short
sighted as to send abroad when there
is real need of every pound OF it for
home consumption.