Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-06-03
A F[ED|NG EXPERIMENT
Great Interest Being Taken in
Result OF Experiments by
the State.
Delegation Visits the Cook Farm
Where the Feeding Is Be.
ing Done.
Value of Rotation OF Crops to Be
Tested..4,8O0 Acres Under
Corn.

Odebolt. June 3.-This spot on the
feeding interests all over the west. No
experiment ever made has attracted
such general attention as the test inau-
gurated on the Cook farms not long
since to determine the values of stock
food from the feeders standpoint. This
experiment is now in the finishing
stage; and the whole live stock world
is waiting feverishly for results. These
will be given in detail in the official
bulletin, but Professor Curtiss promises
to allay public anxiety by a press sum-
mary on the day the cattle are mar
keted.
A party of interested agriculturists
and others visited the Cook farm. 1t
included Professors Curtiss and kenne-
dy of the Iowa Agricultural College,
Professor w. A. Henry of the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin, Roy B. Simpson of
the Drovers' Journal, Dewitt C. Wing
of the Breeders Gazette, r. p. Fales of
the Live Stock Report, j. A. Anderson
Of the Glusoce Sugar Refining Com
pany, T. A. Shambaugh, a prominent
cattle feeder from Des Moines, and Mrs.
l.. CT. Hardin of the Ames, Iowa, Times.
They We're met by Mr.. Cook and given
an opportunity to inspect the famous
Cook farms, comprising twenty-three
half sections of land. These farms are
operated on a thorough system, each
being in charge of a foreman and the
whole unde a superintendent. None of
the large Chicago business houses
have their business on a firmer basis
than Mr.. Cooks farming is conducted
at Odebolt. -Four thousand eight hun
dred acres of land are under corn this
year. In addition to this, 900 acres are
being planted to popcorn. a crop which
Mr.. Cook has grown very successfully
during the last few years. Mr.. Cook is
the most extensive popcorn grower in
the world.
In these farms is carried on a thor
ough rotation of crops, Mr.. Cook hay-
ing a map of the entire 1000 acres of
land showing form year to year what
is grown upon ach and every part of
the various farm. Mr.. Cook does not
believe in grain farming, as he knows
iAstS - LS "SlC oiIo ldlIIlIIlE /
continually he would soon exhaust the
fertility Of his soil, thus he is engaged
quite extensively in stock feeding and
stock growing. 1t is his intention in the
near future to start into the pure bred
cattle and sheep business. AT present
has quite a large herd of pure bred
Poland China swine. AT present there
are over 500 brood sows, which average
sever pigs per litter. These hogs will
be all fattened on the corn grown on
farms during the year
Professor Marshall and those who or
and are in charge of the feed
ing experiment are well satisfied with
the progress so far made and are con-
final results will prove beneficial
to cattle feeders all over the country. OF
as yet no definite figures have
been given out to the public, nor vii,
there be anything definite given out I'M
til the experiment is concluded.
An interesting swine feeding expert
lnent is being conducted at the station
at Aines. II is to test the value of the
! arious by-products of the packing
houses when fed in conjunction with
corn for swine feeding purposes. Five
lots of hogs are being used in this eX-
pertinent. The hogs averaged 205
pounds each when the experiment was
commenced some four weeks ago. They
ere cross-bred Poland China-YOrk-
shire, Poland Characteristic n Po-
and China-Duroc Jerseys. No results {
been made known as yet as to
low the hogs are coming OF except hat I
hey have made an average gain of I
seventy-eight pounds per head for !
he twenty-eight days. They are an {
smooth lot of pigs and it is !
that any experiment station has \
lad such good material to work on for {
purposes. The results of :
his experiment will be published about Z
he LIST of August. G