The Owosso times., 1907-08-23
MOUND SPRING FARM.
y. w. Hibbard Combines Dairyina
Sheep Breeding and Pig Raising
Profitaby-Muoh of the Feed
Raised on the Farm.

Sheep Breeding and Pig Raising
| Profitaby-Much Of the Feed
Raised on the Farm.
BY N. A. Clapp, in New YORK Tribune Farmer.
1t is pretty generally understood that
what is called diversified farming is
carried on by most farmers living in
Central Michigan. While with many
some particular branch of livestock
raising isa leading feature, grain is
not neglected 1t is class of farm
management that works well, for the
grain is necessity for raising and fat
tening the stock and the manure drop
ped in the pasture fields, and gathered
at the barns, while wintering the stock
is of great value in maintaining the
fertility of the soil. 1t is very much
like an endless chain, constantly bring
ing an income, and only the finished
product in the shape fattened animals
or dairy products is being sold off the
farm.
In response to an invitation by the
proprietor of the Mound Spring Farm,
j. w. Hibbard, of Bennington, Mich,
made short visit there, looked over
the farm and studied some of the man
agement. There are about four hun
dred acres in the farm, mostly clay
loan and it is very fertile and product
i've. A complete system of crop rota-
tion is followed. and whether the fields
are seeded to clover and the grasses for
meadow, used for pasture, sown.to the
various grain crops or planted to corn
the yield seems to be sure and abun-
dant.
THE STOCK KEPT.
The attention is not all given to one
kind of stock. Dairying is carried on
in that part of the state quite exten-
sively, and very profitably, too, as the
great butter plant at Owosso takes the
cream at good price At Mound Spring
Farm they appreciate the worth of the
dairy on the farm in more than one
way, and keep herd of about thirty
cows. The proprietor told me that if it
were not for the difficulty in securing
help that are good mixers more cows
would be kept. When we mentioned
the milking machine we were told that
they were waiting for the other fellows
to experiment with it and prove its
practicability. A flock of Shropshire
sheep are kept for the wool and the in
crease in lambs. This is a profitable
class of STOCK, when the small cost of
keeping is considered Some grade
draft colts are raised, which help to
keep up the supply of horses necessary
to do the work on the farm and furnish
surplus to sell occasionally.
THE HOGS KEPT ON THE EARN
AS might be expected from the large
amount of skim milk that is produced
from the dairy herd, as well as the
large amount of grain raised on the
farm, 1t is possible to breed, feed and
sell large number of pigs each year.
l found fully twenty-five brood sows
running in the pasture field, as they
had just weaned the spring litters and
were being bred for crop of pigs to be
farrowed during the fall months
THE BREED KEPT
When Mr. Hibbard was young
man he began keeping stock on the
farm, which he was running then in
company with his father. He bought
some Berkshire hogs and bred them in
a comparatively small way, and worked
into the business gradually, forming a
taste for the stylish breed. One Of the
reasons why the pure bred pigs are
raised instead of the lower grades is
because he and others haye found by
experience and experiment that with
the best of the pure breds meat can be
produced with less expenditure of food
than with the grades. AS the profit
accruing from the business is the diff
ference between the outlay in feed and
care, and the income from the sale of
the product, it was considered the best
policy to try to secure and keep some
of the best specimens of the breed. BY
breeding them as well as one is capable
of doing there are still plenty each fall
and spring that do not come very close
to the ideal standard.
HOW THE PIGS ARE KEPT.
The pigs are kept in what seems to