Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1907-07-04
LIVE STOCK ON THE Farm.
BY b. f. lEinkler, New Jersey Exper-
iment station.


greater interest or importance to the New
Jersey farmer than the one relative to the
successful care, feeding, breeding and
general management of live stock. Farm
land is increasing in value; feed stuffs of
all kinds are very high, and farm labor is
extremely scarce and unreliable. The in
creased cost Of production has not been
followed by proportionate increase in
value of either the animals or the products,
and many farmers are beginning to lose
confidence in their ability to raise farm AMI
mails at profit
With some it is a question Of not know
ing how; with others one of putting into
actual practice fundamental methods which
they have seemingly wilfully skirked, since
it was possible, under more favorable CON
ditions and circumstances, to realize COM
Portable living without great deal of study
or muscular exertion It is evident now
that the time is at hand when the husband
mans brain must be active as well as his
muscles and that if any measure of success
is desired he must adopt the most modern
and recognized methods of caring for the
farm animals,
1t is not necessary to go far for such in
formation. There are any number of farm
stock, horses, cattle, sheep and swine at
genuine profit, and Furthermore, are able to
dispose of all their surplus animals and
their products at proft-sharing prices This
is not ALL These live stock farmers are
the best grain growing farmers, for the fer
tility is maintained and the soil is fed, not
with spoon filled with commercial fertil-
izer, but rather by spreading the yoided
n, al naanurae rafpcp from thu
animals kept on the premises.
1t is much easier and far more profitable
to deliyer one load of hogs to the station
than to market ten loads Of corn; more de-
slrable to feed the excess clover and ground
wheat to young growing lambs than TO ped
die these farm products to station custo-
mers and besides, think Of the enrichment
that you can furnish without cost to the al
most barren soil. But, at the outset, let
me say that there is no profit nor pleasure
in keeping an animal boarding house; in
keeping COW that will not produce milk
enough 10 pay for her care and feed a pig
that will do nothing hut drink swill aud
squeal; hen hat does nothing but cackle,
nor a eve tha6 will rot produce twin lambs
and heavy dense of fleece during the
same season.
than the number of animals that adds yalae
to herd, yet when you ask the average
dairyman how much milk he produces be
will reply that he is milking SO many cows.
Question him further regarding his indl-
vidual animals, and he can give you no
definite facts, but rather some amusing
guesses. For instance asked one farmer
in Hunterdon county how much he esti-
mated the cost Of feeding COW for one
year, and he replied. $3.50. He said that
his COWS averaged about eight quarts of
milk per day during the milking period, and
at the current prices averaged something
like $5S as total yearly income Another
neighbor boasted Of the TACT that he could
keep COW for one year for one dollar per
month"; twelve dollars per year, but admit
ted that he never tabulated any record of
his feed bills.
Better feeding, better breeding and bet
ter management with more attention to de-
tails should be practiced on almost every
farm. While it is never possible to raise
too many good animals, it is very easy to
oyeTstock the farm with common or infe-
rior beasts. Grain fed to functional animals
is well disposed of, while If administered to
scrub intruders it does not bring half its
market value. Improved live stock does
not always mean pure bred individuals for
a high grade female is more useful and
profitable than a pedigreed scrub. It does
not follow, however, that any breeder should
use other than pure bred sire on his fe-
males, no matter if he is only breeding
them for freshening purposes.
No female, however scrubby, should be
insulted by allowing slab sided, narrow
chested, cat hammed mongrel, with neither
breeding nor individuality to cause her con-
ception. Mere pedigree without external
qualifications, such as size, constitution
quality and desirable conformation, is of
little consequence. The hungry man wants
bread with his meat, and neither one taken
alone will satisfy bis appetite. Just so
with the selection of a breeding animal
The pedigree is useful only as record Of
it's breeding; the individuality of the beast,
it's external make up and form must be
reckoned with if the greatest usefulness is
desired,
1t is surprising to find SO many New Jer-
sey dairymen and farmers buying the eulls
from New York and Pennsylvania to re-
plenish their herds. From figures gathered
by the visitation of some 250 dairymen |
find that less than one-third of the COWS are
raised on the owners farm, and further
more, three out Of every ten cows change
boarding places each year. This shows
that thirty per cent. of the mich cows are
Improbable; that one owner is disposipg
Of bis culls to the other when she freshens
and just as long as this condemned practice
continues, just SO long will the dairyman
find it hard matter TO make his adventure
pay profit
At the present price of milk (which
averages % cents per quart for the farmer)
every dairyman can we'll afford to raise
enough Of his best heifeI calves each year to
take the places of those cows whose usefull-
ness is finished, or those that fail to prove
profitable. Say lit costs SAL. so to raise a
heifer calf from birth until she drops her
| first calf at twenty-five months old. II she
is sired by pure bred bull ,one whose pedi-
gree is traceable to a family noted for milk
production and providing her mother is a
heavy milker, she will give as much milk
during her first milking season as the