Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-09-21
Study consequences.

lHoard's Dairyman.J
Fifty years or more ago, when lad
working by the month for an old farm
er who was a born teacher, we did a
piece of corn hocing in Il careless, IN
different way. The old man called our
attention to the work and said;
You hoed that corn with your mind
not on your work. You must make a
mind study of what you are doing. AL
ways when you are working study the
consequences of what you are doing
and the way you do it. If you get lnso
that mental habit you will see results
loom up ahead of you and you VIII new
err work hard for poor results as you
did when you hoed that corn.
That was Il most valuable lecture to
u.s. 1t opened a new idea of work. We
could see as we studied 1t that every
turn of the hoe was fraught with con-
sequences good or ill to the corn.
A great deal Of the work men do on
the dairy farm is done without any
study of consequences. 1t is a great
gift to be able to foresee the conse-
quences OF our acts.
Not long since neighbor applied to
us for advice about his alfalfa. A year
ago we had advised him to test his
seed, but he hadn't time he said. A
year has been wasted and all his labor,
and only. a few spears OF the alfalfa
are shown. 1t would have taken him
possibly half hour to test the seed.
We tested some of the seed he had left
over and one in twenty would grow.
He did not study consequences.
Twenty years ago another neighbor
had splendid herd Of grade cows
which his old father had developed by
wise breeding and selection to the
point of 275 pounds of butter per COW.
But the son was not satisfied. He had
the "dual-purpose" bee in his bonnet.
He said to us one day, II am going to
put Shorthorn bull at the head of my
herd" We protested, telling him he
would breed down instead of up II he
did it. But l must have more size in
my calves" said he. Il want to get
something for the male calves We
told him as best we could of the con-
sequences of such breeding on his flu
ture cows, but 1t was of no avail
Ten years rolled by and the entire
herd waJ composed of the daughters
and granddaughter of that beefy bull
Inc average yearly Oultcl PloboSl VI
the herd was 100 pounds. He didn't
study consequences. There was ten
years of time spent, worse than vast.
ed, for he had spoiled good herd OF
cows and produced al poor one. But
he had more meat.
Another neighbor had a fine herd Of
Jersey grade COWS producing nearly 500
pounds of butter per COW, as the cream
cry books showed. He too wanted
more meat, so. he introduced Brown
Swiss bull Of very beefy proportions
The daughters and granddaughter of
that cross are large, fine looking ami :
mails, but the creamery books do not
show the cash returns they did In the
older days. He had never made study
of the principles of dairy breeding. He
thought he could play with consequent
sces and turn up the card he wanted
every time He Is not Boosting any
more about the, returns his COWS are
making.
Last spring we urged a number OF
farmers who had fields of alfalfa to
purchase cotton cloth and make them
selves a good supply Of hay caps. But
they could not see it in that light. The
other day two of them were in our
barn and they wondered how we man
aged in spite of the past wet season
to have such bright, green alfalfa hay.
We told them it was due to the hay
caps, with which we have been able
to handle two cuttings successfully ana
are now on the third. They saw the
consequences.
Last fall we urged farmer to bui ID
him we'll constructed calf stable,
where he could surround his calves all
winter with right conditions for calf
growth and development. He turned
up his nose in disdain at such Ideas;
said he knew how to raise calves ana
all that. He happened to be at the
depot when we were shipping bunch
Of grade Guernsey heifer calves be-
tween six and seven months old. He
admired the thrifty appearance OF the
Youngsters and admitted that he had
never produced such calves himself 1t
seemed to jar him somewhat when we
told him that one great reason for their
growth was the warm, we'll constructed
stable they were reared In. These
calves sold for 500 each; his calves
co,1s he bought easily for $40 to $12
apiece
Here was a good chance to study
oonsanuences. "And so goes the game
Of consequences to an almost infinite
degree.
An Effect Of Wet Flowing.
There is perhaps no place that re-
;,a more nerve on the part of the