The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-02-28
DAIRY COUNTY
IN NEXT DECADE
And the Reputation of the Yakima
Valley as Such Will Equal Its
Fame for Fruit
SUCH IS THE OPINION
OF INSTITUTE LECTURER
Prof. Mcdonald Talks About Live
stock and Points Out the Pos
sibilities and the Advantages for
the Industry

"In ten years from now said Prof
w. T. Mcdonald, of the state college
at the farmers institute Saturday at
i the Y. M. c. A., 1.-The Yakima valley
will be as widely and favorably known
as dairy and stock country as it will
be as a fruit country. Not only that
but when that day arrives the valley
will be producing better fruit because
of the fertilizer from the stock"
This sentiment was applauded. Three
i years ago." he continued, when
i came into this valley as an institute
lecturer and began to talk stock and
the stock opportunities people appear
ed to be bored. They stretched out
and dozed and waited for the next lee
turer. On this trip it has been diff
ferent. Everywhere in the valley, ex-
cept at North Yakima, the number of
people interested in the livestock lee
lures has been greater than the num-
Der interestd in the talks on fruit
topics There has been an awaken
ing and that awakening is for the
benefit of the valley as a whole.
Tendency OF Ranchers
Prof. Mcdonald then went on to
have come to Yakima to become pro-
/ ducers of fruit had for one reason
or another found their undertaking
Improbable and that there had been
a gradual turning to cattle, sheep.
hogs and poultry and in number Of
Instances unusual success had been
attained. For live stock this valley
| offers unusual opportunity because of
the alfalfa which is and can be grown
here 1t is superior food. He then
| went on to talk of alfalfa as feed
and sad that there was not necessar-
! lily any difference between the first,
second and third cuttings in food
| value. Because of the manner of
| curing the second cutting being ex-
posed to greater heat and more severe
climatic conditions it is not always as
| we'll cured. AS food, however, one
cutting might be just as good as any
other. The protein content comes in
the earlier stages of growth and the
Carlo hydrates in the later stages of
development so that the state of de-
velopment at the time of harvesting
has much to do with the food value
Value of Alfalfa
Alfalfa with shorts to supplement
it Prof. McDoiald said, was an excel
lent stock food. Corn with alfalfa
is excellent but usually the corn is
not cheap enough At Pullman the
horses are being fed for their grain
ration two-thirds wheat and ope-third
| oats. Next year, or soon, he expects
| that barley will be fed. Prof McDon-
| aid said that timothy and oats long
! considered to be the ideal stock feed,
was not the best as had been shown
| by tests and declared that there are
| many stock countries and dairy Sec
lions which would gladly change their
| conditions for those which exist in
| the Yakima valley.
The hog of the northwest will in
| the future be grown on the alfalfa
lands with some grain and shorts to
supplement the alfalfa ration. More
stock should be 'rased and more Of
the alfalfa fed to all kinds of live
stock than is the case at present.
Portland packers last year brought
| in from the east from the non-alfalfa
sections part of a value of 1000, 900
produced under conditions which will
not make as good pork as will be
| IIldu6 where dlldlld is leu.
Something About Hogs
Prof. Mcdonald declined to say
which is the best breed of hogs,
| though when asked the direct ques-
! ton said that he likes the Tanworth.
He did say tat all the leading breeds
are good though he fears that a white
skinned animal will blister and rack
| in the climate of this valley. What
| the hog breeders are after is profit
able production and to this end the
| person engaged in the hog business
should make certain of procuring pro-
| life animals no matter what breed
he selects. Litters of ten, as an illus
| tration, will yield a profit where lit
| ters of two will not because of the
initial cost.
Fertilizing the Orchard
Some attention was given to the
| benefits which had accrued to the or
chards here stock is kept and where
| the barnyard manure is applied to
! the soils. He had been shown one or
! chard in the lower valley where
process of fertilization had been fol-
| lowed for five years and where the
beneficial results We're such as to
! speak to the most careless observer
In this connection he said there was
| now general recognition of the fact
that it is possible. in fruit produce
ton to exhaust the soil. This deple-
ton of the soil is coming sooner than
! had been expected and in some in
stances is coming much more rapidly
| than had been expected and is a con-
dition which must be met and Crap
| pled with. Livestock in connection
with the farm and the use of barn
yard manure is the best and easiest
| solution