Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-30
MoNoNA COUNTY RECORD.
Charles Smith Raised 554 Bushels Of
Wheat on Eleven Acres.

Charles Smith Raised 554 Bushels Of
Wheat on Eleven Acres.
Special to Times Republican.
| Onawa, July 3O.-The banner rec
ord for wheat in this locality is held
| by Charles Smith. who lives on the
John Cleghorn farm in Ashton town
ship. and on eleven acres of land
threshed out 554 bushels OF winter
wheat. or so Ali bushels per acre.
AS there was some dispute about the
exact amount of land the ground was
carefully measured by outside parties
and is known to be absolutely correct.
This wheat, at 63 cents per bushel, the
market price. amounts to s31.73 per
acre. This is one of the oldest farms
| in Monona county and was taken as
a claim by Marion Owens in 1853
and has been farmed continuously
since.
Characteristics of Good Brood Sows.
Ordinarily speaking the breeding
sows for the farmer should not differ
materially in external characteristics
from the SOW i'm the herd of register
from the sow in the herd of the regis
tered swine breeder. 1t is also true
that the good brood SOW of the lard
type should not be materially different
in general character from the SOW of
the bacon type. Probably many read
ers of The Prairie Farmer will not
fully appreciate this fact thoroughly
until they have gone thoughtfully into
the matter. AS means of illustra-
ton we have selected description of
"a bacon SOW as given in treatise on
..Ra HOPS rnnnHa' Inv
Grisdale, of the Central Experimental
Farm. AS an Illustration of the great
flexibilty Of the fundamental charac-
teristics of good brood sows, and how
we'll the same may be applied to good
producers regardless of breed or type,
the following is interesting as we'll as
Instructive:
Every sow in the herd should be as
good as can be procured. Having a
good boar will not make up for inferior
sows Where it is not desired to sell
stock for breeding purposes, however,
the use of pure bred sows is not abb
solutely necessary to insure success.
1t is generally supposed that the
good brood sow should be somewhat
more rangy, rather more loosely put
together and bit more open In con-
formation than the good boar of the
same breed. Many compactly built
sows have, however, proved very ex-
cellent breeders, bearing and raising
large, uniform and thrifty filters. 1t
is very easy, too, to select sows so
loose and ungainly as to be quite use
less, as mothers In appearance the
sow Should be essentially feminine She
should have strong but neat muzzle,
broad forehead and large eyes set well
apart ears of medium thickness, f1rm
springy, and covered with fine hair
The neck should be Of medium length,
fairly fine and should show no ten
dency to arch. The shoulders should
be nicely rounded from side to side
but a slight tendency to openness here
is not so Objectionable as in the case
of the boar. The chest should be
broad and deep and the heart girth
very large. The back should be long,
broad and arching toward and at the
loin rather than straight. Good chest
and hind flank are particularly inn
portant in the brood sow. They in
dictate strength and fertility or prolifi-
cacy. A good spring Of rib and
deep body are also important as in
dicating fecundity and the likelihood
Of there being milk for the young
when needed.
The hams or hind quarters should be
broad and we'll fleshed down to the
hooks. The hooks should be wide apart,
but suuarely set. This popularity to-
gether with broad rump Indicates
ease in narrowing which is a quite i'm
portant consideration. The SOW should
stand on good, sound, clean boned, up
right pasterned legs. Coarseness is not
desired in bone or conformation, but
any tendency toward what might be
correctly described as fineness of bone
cannot be too strongly condemned. 1t
means sterlity or small litters, weak
pigs, and improbable operations.
No sow possessing less than twelve
teats should ever be retained as a
breeding animal. If she show fourteen
or fifteen good teats starting we'll for
ward near the fore legs SO much the
better.
The teats should be evenly distribut-
ed and each should have a well defined
udder for itself A careful examine
ton of teats should be made to see that
all are milk giving and not blind, nor
shall secondary teats situated close to
large useful ones Blind teats or teats
having no opening will yield no milk,
small or secondary teats situated close
to good ones are very little better than
blind teats.
In looking for animals conforming as
nearly as possible to the above re-
uuirements no attention should be
paid TO individuals from small, uneven
or badly nourished filters. Prolificacy
or fecundity is hereditary, likewise the
throwing of even filters and the power
to yield plenteous supply of milk for
the nourishment of the young. Not in
frequently good filters are spoiled be-
mother. This quality of a good SOW
should receive much more attention
than is usually given to it, and atten
ton there to in making the selection of
the SOW would most certainly be re-
warded by the peculiar thrift and Wig
or of the litters from the good milking
sows.
In conclusion, let the sows selected
be docile An irritable, nervous animal
is sure to prove unsatisfactory for
breeding purposes. Young pigs do not
betray this popularity even
tho they possess it in a high degree,
hence the character of the mother
should be noted in this respect. OF
course very much may be done by care
and training or lack thereof to make
or mar both sexes in this respect
Kindness in dealing with live stock of