The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-12-15

many men cannot master it. One ten
dency is to want too much land A
man can make good living on any
twenty acres in the state, by cultivat-
ing it intensely. The city home has to
be supported. 1t means much whether
you have a home that has to be sup
ported or whether you have one that
will support you.
Professor William Roberts of Crooks.
ton exhibited large number of stereop
ticon farm views. He opened by adj
vocating ten acre school grounds in the
country, with farm associations. The
scenes that he gave illustrated shftless
ways of keeping up farm premises.
methods of road Improvement, etc. The
greater number of the pictures were
taken from the state agricultural school
and illustrated what the students there
do. The various buildings, inside and
out were shown, and the class work
from laying tile drain to quartering a
beef, from pollenizing a plant bloom to
removing the tusk from hog, from re-
pairing fence to running thresher
engine. ~ 'h'.#
-'pa' Stock Breeders Day.
This was "Stoek Breeders Day" and
the program had more general interest
for the farmers than that of yester-
day. When the morning session opened,
the attendance was very light, but the
seats were gradually filled.
A. j. Mcclure of the Northeast Ex-
pertinent farm at Grand Rapids was the
first on the program, the subject of his
paper being "a Study in the Breeding
of Dairy Cattle" Animals shape them
selves according to conditions. Mime
sofa cows are on the verge of starvation,
being hardly able to walk when turned
out in the spring Qualities are con-
tinued by means of breeding. In this
selection is the whole thing. In the
plan is followed, and frequently changes
are made Wild animals have marked
characteristics that show themselves
from generation to generation and it is
almost impossible to change them. This
should be so with cattle. The oldest
breeds have the greatest power i'll trans
hitting their characteristics.
Answering a question, Mr. Mcguire
said that he would not cross breed Jer
seys with Holstein.
Mr.. Phillips of West Salem, Wis,
took the platform and urged that the
sires used in breeding should be mature
and good. 1t would be better for farm
ers to club together and buy $3.50
should be well cared for. Raise them
on warm milk with a little oil meal
until fifteen months old. Bulls should
not be discarded because they are cross
and toss the hired man over the fence.
Work them on tread mill or some
other way Idleness ruins bulls as well
as boys. Do not cross breed, and get
the best producers to breed with.
o. C. Gregg of Lynd, superintendent
of the state farmers institute corps,
spoke for half an hour upon "The
Dairyman's Steer" He used charts to
illustrate his points. He gave some of
his own experiences in breeding cattle,
and told of his early failures and his
study to see where his mistakes were.
He had several worthless thoroughbred
bulls. He had applied Darwin's axium,
that every form of life is continually
responding to it's environments. There is
way and system by which to breed
and get good results. The tendency of
the sire is to transmit form--sometimes
it is a certainty. The tendency on the
part of the dam is to transmit the in
ternaI organs. A beef sire and dairy
COW will turn out fine farm steers and
heifers, good feeders and good mixers
for time.
Mr.. Gregg explained how to judge a
COW, at the request of one in the au
dience. Cows should be more than two
years old when they drop calves. Sires
should also be mature. They are in
their prime at eight years.
Col r. A. Wilkinson of Crookston
said, answering question, that persis-
tent milking dry will delay or prevent
a cow from drying up.
Mr.. Elliot of Ontario, who is with
the Minnesota farmers institute corps,
spoke on the question of breeding. He
favored breeding the best in pure bred
lines, in order to be in good company.
The male is the potent factor in building
up a herd. He reproduces the -qualifica-
lions of his mother. Twenty-Five per
cent of his heredity that is transmitted
comes from his sire or dam, and the
balance from way back. The individual
is to be chosen, rather than the pedigree
This is not an exclusive dairy state,
and beef is to be thought of as well as
milk.
l.. A. Sweet of Fairmont advanced
dairy cows for milk and beef cows for
beef.
Mr.. Gregg favored the cross of beef
and dairy cattle for the farm, but would
sell all the increase and not breed with
them. +. 5.g
DR.. M. 3. Wood said that he consider
ed the dual purpose idea the biggest
force out. People who have followed it
have neither beef nor milk.
Mr.. Elliot said that in England, where
land is high, the short horn dairy type
is used with good results.
Col. Wilkinson, who is Il short horn
breeder, spoke in favor of that kind OF
cattle. He said that the environments
fix She characteristics. The short horn
cattle fit the conditions in u northern
climate better than any other. Before
the so-called dairy breeds were intro
duced, there was a good class OF cattle
ON the farms, and the farmers were
making money from them. All OF us
cannot be specialists, and farmer can
not conduct diversified farm and be
specialist i'm dairy cattle. The animal
that fits the farm purposes is the best
for the average farmer. 1t is mis-