Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-03-30
Millionaire Wisconsin Dairyman
Makes important Discovery.
Process Worked Out Whereby Limbs,
Branches and Twigs of Tree
Shrubs May Be Utilized for
Fatteninq Purposes.

Marinette, Wise. l. Cook, mil
honaire dairyman and market garden
er of this city, has just given to the
world the results of several years
study On the problem of securing
cheap and effective food for cattle of
all kinds, that promises to revolution
lie dairying in the northern portion
of the country this year and which in
a short time will be taken up by all
the newly settled districts of the en-
tire country. Mr.. Cook has completed
the working out of a process where
by a food for cattle, as well as farm
stock of all kinds, can be attained
from the limbs, branches and twigs
of tree shrubs, which accumulate dur
ing the clearing Of lands
The discovery of this process reads
like a romance to those who give it
but a passing thought, but to the stu
dent Of agriculture and dairying meth
DDS it is simply the adapting of old
methods to new uses.
Mr.. Cook, before he took up farm
ing to any extent, was a wholesale
grocer and still owns large interests
in this line. He has always been a
student of nature and a lover of out
door life. Some years ago, while
hunting in northern Wisconsin, he
noted that the deer had eaten the
ends of the branches of shrubs and
trees down to point where the limbs
were over one-half inch in diameter.
Having just purchased $500 acres Of
wild, cutover lands, which he intend
ed to develop for dairying and mar
ket gardening, his next thought was
naturally the adapting Of this woody
food to farm animals. He reasoned
that the digestive organs of a deer
and a COW were greatly similar and
that the cow would thrive on this
same food If prepared in a palatable
form.
A little later he secured some of the
branches Of an alder shrub and beat
them into a pulp with a hammer. He
then offered a quantity of 1t to a
COW, but bossy promptly turned the
mixture down and would have nothing
to do with 1t. A quantity Of 1t was
then placed before her and her regu-
lar food ration was cut of. Upon re-
turning next day it was found that
cow had eaten all Of the pulp and that
she relished 1t. More Of 1t was sup
piled and strict tests as to quantity
and quality Of milk were made. With
In few days clover and timothy had
ohor 20 fha yIavo In
was available. The milk tests showed
a heavier flow and Mr.. Cook then
came to the decision that he had run
upon a discovery that called for fur
Their attention.
He began a search for a grinder
that would answer the purpose and
found the article desired with a st.
Louis firm. Wood ground in the ma
chine was then submitted to experts
and tests showed that it contained
more protein than did clover or tim
othy hay.
The grinder has since been installed
by Mr.. Cook in building in this city
and in clearing new lands Mr.. Cook
has ordered that every twig and
branch not large enough for frewood
be turned over to the grinder. Sew
eral types of food have been made,
some of them adapted to growing
calves, others to mich COWS and still
others to beef cattle. Some of the
wood pulp contains a mixture of
ground cornstalks, another type con-
tains ground grains, others contain
beet sugar molasses and in other
cases the wood pulp is fed just as 1t
comes from the grinder.
After six months feeding on wood
pulp Mr. Cook has a dairy herd of 800
cattle that are in excellent condition.
They have added flesh and milk tests
show greater returns than before the
new method of feeding.
The directors Of the Wisconsin Ad-