Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-25
BALANCED RATIoNs.
Wise Farmer Will Plant to Raise
Crops to Fit His Animals.

crops to Fit His Animals.
Many good farmers buy various
products to balance feeding rations on
the farm without seeming to UNDER
stand that they can grow everything
they need except in rare instances.
In the middle west the shortage is
generally in albuminous foods, while
In the arid sections they are long on
flesh formers and short on fatteners
or carbohydrates West of the reli-
able corn belt in Nebraska and Kan
sas, clear to the Pacific coast, the cry
| is not for flesh formers or albums
notds, but for corn; something that
will balance up the alfalfa hay.
In the more humid sections where
carbohydrates are cheap the cry is
for flesh formers; for oil meal; cotton
seed meal; germ oil meal; alfalfa
meal; bran; shorts; something that
will enable the animal to use to adj
vantage the cheap corn that grows
all over this section.
The farmer in the corn growing
states, therefore, should do his very
best to grow sufficient flesh formers to
get all the possible value out Of his
corn. He can do this easily If he will;
not every season, but most seasons.
He can grow over all the corn belt
north of latitude forty an abundance
of clover in most seasons, and by
keeping his dairy cows and. fattening
his steers more largely on roughage
by-products to the extent that he has
been doing in years past.
1t is more difficult to grow grains
s|rich in protein. He can however, by
selection increase the protein in his
corn and thus make it much easier
Ito balance 1t. Corn analyses from
Ito 10 per cent protein.
The high protein varieties that are
being developed in our experiment
stations run up to 13, and ii, occa-
Isionally Is, and rarely 16 per cent,
and we have no doubt that in time
we will have tupes of corn of the i'm
proved varieties that will be almost
equivalent SO far as the chemical
analysis shows to oats or barley.
One Of the greatest difficulties in
growing pigs is to get sufficient flesh
formers. The great weakness Of all
, our breeds of hogs that have been
grown for any great length Of time
in the corn belt grows out of this
deficiency of flesh formers.
This can be obviated in two ways
one by a larger use of skim milk or
: the farm. There is no better balanced
ration than corn and skim milk, OF
butter milk fed sweet. Our farmers
. will have to pay more attention tc
: dairying in the future, and as an in.
> ducement, or, we might say, consola.
3 ton, we call their attention to the
, great value of skim milk in the
: pig pen.
They can help themselves still
further by using largely clover, alfalfa
. and rape as hog pastures. There is M
necessity Of any farm being withou
a pasture on one or the other Of thes,
plants. Most farms can have two ant
some of them three, and no farrne
: who can grow all three should b,
satisfied with any two.
The time that the pig needs tn,
flesh formers is when it is pig ant
not when 1t is a hog; therefore, ever.
farmer should have where 1t is pos
sible an alfalfa pasture not for ha.
crop, not for a pasture for COWS O
horses. but simply for pigs up to 12
pounds in weight.
Where he cannot have alfalfa, h
can in most cases have clover, or evel
white clover and blue grass, but an
man who wants to have it can hav
rape.
These will furnish the flesh former
and avoid the necessity of his buyin
SO much Of the by-products of tn
factory. It will not avoid it altogethe
If he is pushing pigs for all there
: in 1t, but it will be a wonderful helr
# The progressive farmer will stud
e all these questions during the winte
i, and plan his next years planting S
e as to produce the sort of feed he need
t. and not depend upon some outside
n to produce 1t for him.
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