Morris tribune., 1911-11-17
HORSE LABOR.
BY A D. Wilson, Agricultural
Extension Division, Mime
sofa Agricultural College.

j. + j. X j. j. !. :. i. j. j. j. + j. + j. j.
T In travelling over the state this fall,
have been impressed with the fact
that many farmers are laboring under
fcient horse labor to operate the
various machines ON the farm to their
maximum capacity. On this account,
with their binders, disks and plows,
many are accomplishing but from 80
to 80 per cent of the work that should
covering enough ground, the fact that
they haven't sufficient horsepower
causes them to do the work less
thoroughly than they otherwise would.
This is especially true of disking and
plowing.
| The matter of horse labor on the
farm is one that deserves very care
full consideration. insufficient horse Ia
Dor makes the farm, the capital in
vested in machinery, and in labor, less
efficient than it should be. More
horses than are really needed add
farm. There is a middle ground,
where the average farmer must stay
If he would do his work in the best
and easiest manner, and with the
most profit to himself.
The average cost of keeping farm
WOrkhOrse per year is $50 to $50. If
one keeps one extra horse more than
is needed on each 100 acres of land,
he materially increases the cost per
acre of operating the land. Likewise,
If he keeps fewer horses than are
needed, his expense for man labor
will be more, and his work will not be
well done.
Raise More Horses.
At present prices for horses, there
is profit in raising them for market.
We feel that it should be the aim of
most of our farmers to keep some
good, heavy brood mares on, the farm.
These mares, by raising colts, can
materially add to the income of the
farm, and portion of the cost of
keeping the mares can be charged
to seven years is the most profitable
age at which to sell horses If colts
are kept to this age, a great deal of
work can be gotten from them
from the time when they are three
years old until they are sold. OF
course, if fthese young horses are used,
they must not be overloaded, but
they can often be worked into three
or five or six horse team, and take the
place of good horse without injury
to them. By using these young horses,
and selling them while still in their
prime, and when they bring maxi
mum price, one very largely elimi
mates the matter of depreciation, |
which is not true If he keeps older !
horses. The fact that colt five years |
old will ordinary bring from $25 to
$50 more than a three-year-old, allows
one to subtract this amount from the
cost Of keeping the young horse for
the year or so, which makes the labor |
from this type reasonably cheap.
Feeding.
Another item in the management of |
horse labor on the farm is economy in
feeding. With oats at 40 cents per
bushel, and with horses fed largely on
this product, it is easy to expend a
lot of money in keeping few horses;
but with the increase in the corn acre
age in Minnesota, feed is going to be
cheaper A forty-bushel yield of corn
can be produced and put in the shock,
in most places in the state at cost !
of about $12 per acre. This means
that one will have from one to one
and a half tons of roughage for moth
ing, and ear corn for 80 cents per
bushel, which is cheaper feed than
oats at 20 cents per bushel. By grow
ing a reasonable amount of clover or
alfalfa hay the young horses and brood
n res can be Wintered-in fact, fed
most of the year very satisfactorily
largely, on clover and corn. OF
G.; drEa, during the first year or two Ct
the colts life, it needs more muscle
forming feed, and grain feed should
be largely bran and oats; but from
the time the colt is two years old un-
til he is sold, at least 60 per cent Of
his grain ration can be corn y
By getting hold of good, heavy
mares as rapidly as possible, hv rails,
ing colts on the farm, and by plan
ming to feed the horses as much as
possible on corn and clover, compar
atively cheap feeds, one can have am
pie horsepower on the farm to eff
fectively operate any machine needed;
and this without.an unreasonable cost