Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1904-11-05

great corn producing areas 1t is ques-
tionable whether the farmer should
attempt to raise draft horses to the
age at which the finishing process
commences. Corn land is not ideal
for frame and mdscie building. IL is
rich in those ingredients which cause
corn and other crops to luxuriate, but
it does not give complete supply OF
protein or earthly salts. In the more
northern districts grains grow heaV-
Ter TO the bushel, are richer In pro-
tein and mineral matters and are,
therefore, better fitted for frame build
ing. The typical corn land is hat,
black, rich in humus, poor in mineral
matter. Here horses tend to grow
large in size but sluggish, fat, weak
in bone, light in muscle and deficient
in lung power and vigor. The horses
raised in districts favorable to the per-
feet development of those things not
fully developed or wrongly developed
in the corn belt may best be finished
where corn is plentiful and where the
climate is less rigorous. For this
reason it becomes evident that states
like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado
perhaps, and certainly the Canadian
areas of the great northwest, where
irrigation is unnecessary, should right
ly be regarded as the proper breeding
place of young stock to be finished
further south. These states grow
everything necessary for the produc-
ton of healthy young animals posses
sed Of strong bony frames, robust con-
stitutiors and ideal vigor. The land
is largely rolling, sharp in character,
full of lime and other mineral mat
ters, productive of fine crops Of oats,
barley rye, peas, roots, grass, clover,
alfalfa lin some instances( and with
pure, cool water and fresh, invigorat-
ing atmosphere, forms an ideal nur-
sery for growing colts and calves. In
these states and districts both cattle
and horses can of course be fully fin
ished if the farmer SO desires, but the
raising of young stock, feeders in
cattle and finishing stock in horses,
will doubtless prove a more remunera-
tive business. Colorado is to attempt
the dubious and difficult problem of
establishing a breed of standard coach
horses within the confines Of the
American trotting horse breed. It is
expected that soil, climate, water and
feed in that semi-arid country will de-
velop ideal carriage horses under eX-
pert supervision and selection Of
breeding material. The young stock
so produced should later prove useful
for finishing in more genial districts.
Wisconsin meanwhile is giving atten-
ton generally to uniform production
CT high class draft horses and can do
so as welS or better than any other
district in the country. But she will
scarcely hope to fully finish the vast
number OF young drafters being pro-
duced in her counties. These will
be looked for by feeders and finishers
| from other states. Ohio is making this
business a specially in some districts
and already recognizes the high quail
ity of Wisconsin horse stock. So it
will be seen that certain districts can
do certain things well and should
make the things possible a specially.
Specialization gives promise of high
er quality in every branch Of bust
ness 1t is as likely to prove bene-
| fetal in stock-breeding so that every
district should decide what it can best
produce and then unite for the best
production of the article chosen, the
advertising of the article and the
creating Of discriminating market
and aDDreciatiye price-A. S. AleXan-
der in Farmers Review.