The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-05-01
What Swift & Co. Are Doing In
Experimental Way.
WHERE FARMERS LOSE COIN
They Should Feed the Stock to Finish
and Enrich Their Coffersj Capt.
tai City News.
Especial to The Free Press.l


st. Paul. April 27.-mtclesting ex-
periments in the production of ''Iaby
beef are being conducted in the in
terest of livestock growers by Swift
* Co., at their plant at South st.
Paul The experiments are not yet
concluded, but the results obtained
emphasize the fact that Minnesota far
mers are losing millions of dollars an
mually which should 20 to enrich the
state. This is because they do not
take the trouble to modify their meth
DDS and undertake the work at home
of feeding their stock to finish for
the market. During the latter part
of the year nearly 100000 head of
stock will move from Minnesota and
the northwest to points in the south
to be fed and fattened. In these
shipments are included all kinds of
steers and calves which if fed accord
ing to the teaching of the agricultural
school and livestock experts would
make the growers of them prosperous
instead of emriching the wealthy feed
ers of livestock in Iowa and Illinois.
That calves absorb all the nourish-
ment they receive from growth with
out putting on fat is a fallacy which
has often been exploded. Last October
Swift & Co.. buyers selected fifty lone
calves OF average quality and common
ced to feed them under ordinary con
ditions OH Nov. |. Twenty of these
calves were killed last week and the
carcases submitted to st. Paul meat eX
perts and were pronounced the best
quality they had ever seen. In spite
of everything which can be said on
this subject by those who have made
a scientific study of it there is still
propagated in Minnesota, and more es-
pecially in Wisconsin, class of live
stock that is only half alive with moth
ing to recommend it. So characters
tic has become this output that there
has come into existence a classified
ton for it. 1t is known as minnesota
knot heads" name which disgraces
the state and which every livestock
grower should make an effort to wipe
out.
Developments in Rate Case.
The latest development in the Min
nesota rate cases at st. Paul was an
application to Judge Sanborn of the
United States circuit court for the APP
pointment of master in chancery to
take testimony as to whether the rail
road rate laws by the last session
of the Minnesota legislature are re-
asonable or not. 1t will be remem-
bered that these laws were set aside
by an injunction enforced by Judge
Lochren in the circuit court at St.
Paul Both sides to the litigation were
represented when the application was
made. 1t was practically granted,
but the nature and the extent of the
powers to be conferred on the judges
who will conduct the inquiry has not
yet been determined.
This inquiry may take the greater
part of Il year. As soon as the evil
dence has been collected it will be
presented to the Judge of the circuit
court for him to base an opinion upon
it. Since the release of Attorney Gen
eral Young. the Federal government
has modified its attitude on the ques
ton of the powers of circuit court
Judges where state rights are involved.
Governor Johnson succeeded in drawing
good deal of attention to the question
during his campaign in the south. 1t
remains to be seen whether the prin-
ciple involved can be overcome by
making iniunctions more difficult. to
obtain. so far as the sovereign rights
of states are concerned. when the is
sue seems to be one of constitutional
law.
Knocked Butter Famine.
,,,fa oil
Paul it appears that the Standard Oil
company succeeded in breaking the
neck of the butter famine in England
bv seeking to change the conditions
of the trade and substituting chemi-
callv made butter for the dairy pro-
duct The company was able to do
this owing to the fact that the retail
butter sellers were unable to sell dairy
made butter at a profit at famine pri-
ces. Taking advantage of this stu
alton. butter made from oil products,
selling at "a cents pound retail.
was placed i'm the hands of grocers in
large quantities for next to nothing,
on condition that they induced their
customers to purchase 1T instead or
dairy butter, one extra half pound to
be given free to each purchaser i'll
order to create a market. The sellers
of chemically made butter imagine that
this product has proited by the famine
and secured permanent place in the
product market. The reason given for
this change in the English taste for
butter is that now people have been
induced to try chemical butter the pre-
iudice against it has been overcome
among class. who before the famine
would not give it trial.