Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-02-21
FARMERS INSTITUTE.
ALL MEETINGS LARGELY ATTENDED.

Report of Proceedings Prepared by the
Secretary j. ]. Driscoll. Mary
Subjects Discussed.
Forenoon session, February 18th,
called to order by President Forty.
w. B. johnson, assistant state dairy
commissioner, gave talk on dairying
and told the farmers that the worst
enemy the dairyman has is the unprofit-
able cow; she not only is Improbable
but reduces the profits on the profit
able COW. But don't condemn the old
cow until you have given her a chance.
Furnish her with comfortable quarters,
feed her literally of a balanced ration,
use the Babcock test and then if you
find her dead-beat boarder, get rid of
her; "but don't sell her to your neigh
Dor for good mixer" The average
production of butter per COW for the
state is only l4O pounds, it is shame;
if dairying is to be profitable you will
have to produce more.
The centralizer cannot compete with
the local creameries if the local is
properly managed. First, the central
izer has to pay the local manager one
cent per pound for weighing and test
ing; second, he has to pay freight;
third, shortage; in all about &c per
pound. But he has a system and
employs the best butter maker regard
less of price.
w. G.. Kunes, delegate to the short
course at Ames, read very interest
ing report on the short course held
there.
The forenoon session closed with a
very spirited discussion on tuberculosis.
| Forenoon session, February 18th,
called to order by President Forty.
A motion was made, seconded and
carried that the chair select a COM
mittee to nominate officers and execu-
tive committee.
Herman kull gave very practical
and instructive talk on sheep.
| A. L. Ames gave talk in the fore
noon on the Feeding and Marketing
of Baby Beef" AS most stock raisers
know, what is termed ''baby beef is
more in demand than ever before and
is correspondingly difficult to make
He stated that there were three
methods of producing baby beef, each
with its advantages. The first method
dealt more particularly with raising
calves under ordinary farm conditions.
His advice was to secure distinct type
| of beef cows, selecting with the idea
that the animal would be used entirely
for beef, with very little regard paid
to the milking qualities of the COW, as
any one of the beef breeds under
normal conditions will give sufficient
milk to raise healthy, thrifty calf,
which is the main thing to be secured.
The next most important step is to Sc
lect herd bull well grounded in the
blood lines of strain of cattle known
to be strong in feshing quality, and it
is inneglect of this point that most men
make their first mistake in breeding
calves for market. Given your founda-
ton herd, breed the cows so that the
calves will come about the same time
of the year. AS rule, a calf dropped
in May or early June will use the feed
to best advantage. The next step is
to secure the best succulent pasture
possible for both cows and calves, and
don't have too little feed for the
number of animals you expect to carry
lit is far better to have too few than
too many. The most particular time
/ for feeding is at weaving time, when
the calves should be gradually taught
to eat grain before they are deprived
of their mothers milk. After the calf
is weaned the feed used depends mainly
upon the kinds of feed grown in the
region. Is is thought almost impossible
to grow good class of beef outside
the corn district, but the international
champion calf at the 1907 Chicago Live
Stock Show was fed entirely upon a
ration of oats, barley, peas, hay and
roots. He was bred in Canada from a
herd of full blooded (but not registered)
Shorthorns and was sired by a bull
strongly bred in heshing qualities. 1t
is up to the feeder to make thorough
study of available rations. Variety of
feed also goes long way toward keep
| ing up the thrift, flesh and health of
the animals. The next step is to pro-
vide warm, dry, well ventilated sheds.
There should never be day from the
time the calves are weaned until finally
sold that they could not be shipped and
bring good price, SO that when the
demand calls for this kind of beef the
raiser is ready to sell. Mr.. Ames'
other plan suitable for this section pro-
yided for using dairy herd instead of
a beef herd as foundation, more
risky proposition, but more profitable
if carried out successfully. After elm
mating by the Babcock test all I'M
profitable cows in the herd, you will
have cows which are all valuable in the
dairy but should select them all from
some beef breed. Withthis foundation,
the dairyman is in good position to
add to the profits of his milk by feed
ing the calf as from practical expert