Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-08-30
Keeping Stock too long.

Il ,
by keeping animals intended solely for
producing meat too long is certain.
All the reports of our fat-stock fairs
show that the gain in weight Of cattle
is the greatest while they are Young,
and the smallest after they have
reached maturity. They also show
that young animals will thrive and be-
come fat on cheaper food than old ones
viii. Young cattle will take on flesh
and fat If they have no other food than
grass in the summer and hay in the
winter, Old cattle, however, must
have grain or they will not improve in
condition. Their appetite is not so
keen and their digestion is not as good
as when they were young. The like
is true in respect to pigs. When
young they will eat almost anything,
and will convert much of it into flesh
and fat. As they advance in age they
take exercise, have 4 less keen appe-
tite, and are more particular about
their food. Their digestion is not as
good, and as 4 consequence the food
they consume does not produce so
great a gain iii weight.
Sheep raised chiefly for their flesh
should be prepared formarket and dis
posed Of early. If they are raised
partly for their flesh and partly for
their wool there is ordinarily no gain
in keeping them over more than three
winters. 1T is difficult to feed an old
sheep SO that it will afford good NUT
ton. It may be policy to keep good
breeding ewes as long as they will
raise lambs, but the profit in keeping
them will be in the lambs, as the
mothers viii be likely to decrease in
value after they are 4 wears old. The
risk of Keeping animals intended to
furnish meat beyond the time when
they can be fitted for the market should
TIE always taken into consideration.
The risks incident to disease are very
large i'm tho care Of pigs, now that the
swine plague and hog cholera have be-
come so common and are so generally
fatal. al delay of Il few days in fat
tening and selling lot Of pigs may
result It'll tho loss OF all Of them. The
risk in keeping q lot Of steers or sheep
is not rs great, butit is considerable.
Farmers arc generally anxious to
keep an animal till such q time as it
will bring the highest price that can
be obtained for it. They like to OBJ
tain a large sum Of money for an ami
NAL raised on a place, and have the
credit of obtaining it. There is some
pleasure in having q steer that weighs
4 ton and in receiving the amount of
money it will bring in the market 1t
should be remembered, however, that
the last five hundred pounds added to
its weight are generally obtained at
loss. The grain consumed in produc-
inc it was worth more than the feed,
and could have been sold for more
money. 1t should also be remembered
that there is greater risk in keeping u
very heavy animal than one Of LIGHT or
medium weight. 1t is more liable to
injury on the place where it is kept or
in the car in which il is transported.
A very heavy animal is defenseless,
and, III 1T receives Il slight injury, not
likely to recover from it. It can not
be driven any considerable distance
without suffering from fatigue or with
out u loss in weight. 1t can not en-
dure extremes of heat and cold as well
as 4 smaller animal.
A few years ago there was quite an
inducement held out to farmers to feed
steers till they weighed 1900 pounds
each and to keep lot of hogs till they
averaged 400 pounds. The highest
prices in all our markets were paid for
extra hcayy-Weights. Such is not
now the case. A well-fattened steer
weighing from 300 to 1900 pounds
will bring as much per pound rs one
weighing ton. A few very heavy
steers are wanted by city butchers for
the Christmas trade. Their meat IS
desired for making a display and is at
tractiye to customers. For ordinary
trade, however, medium-size animals
nre preferred. They cut Up to better
advantage, and the size of the rOasts
ard steaks are nearer what most Gus
toners desire. What is true of steers
is also true of hogs. At one time there
was demand for specimens of ami
mated lard weighing from 400 to 600
pounds. Now that strictly-pure kettle
rendered hogs lard is made from beef
tallow aud cotton-seed oil there is no
occasion for making pigs very fat,
and, as medium-sized hams and shout
ders are more desirable than very large
ones, there is no reason for feeding
till they are oyer-grown.
Quite likely baby beef and pig pork
are Improbable alike to the seller and
the BUYER, but mature, well-ripened
meat can be produced without keeping
animals till they exhibit marks of age.
Some kinds of stock can be sold when
very young at higher prices than they
will ever bring afterward. Such IS the
case with lambs that are dropped early
in the season. \ lamb which is of
good size when the first green peas APP
pear in the market can often be sold
for more money than a sheep that is )
or years old. Spring chickens sell
for more than fowls that have lived
long enough TO cat bushels of corn. In
relation to draft animals it may be
said that it never pays their raisers to
keep them till they have begun to de-
cline in value on account OF old age or
intirmities. Keeping horses until they
have outlived their usefulness may
give evidence of sentiment and of
kindly feeling, but it is q losing busi-
ness so far as the pocket is concerned.
Old stock on Il farm rarely ever pays,
and it is about as unstable as the old
stock in a store.
Health Of the Farm.
The editor of the Indiana Farmer
has noticed that even farmers who
take the best care of their soil, their
fences, their crops, and their stock,
are often careless of that which is more
value than all elSe-their health. The