The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1912-08-01
IMPORTANT FACTORS
BY Geo. Severance, Supt., Western
Washington Experiment Station.

The importance of using good
stock cannot be too strongly urged
whether of plants or animals. Many
of our dairymen are coming to ap-
preciate this fact very keenly yet
the majority do not yet fully appre-
ciate it and only a very few OF the
most progressive crop producers ap-
preciate the point.
A good COW is one that can con-
sumo, digest, assimilate and manu-
facture into milk a large quantity
of food. Cows of equal size and
age require about equal amounts OF
food to maintain their life proceeds.
1t is evident then that the charge
per quart against the produce OF a
COW yielding 10000 lbs. milk will
be only half as much as against the
produce of a COW yielding 5000 IDS.
per annum. In a general way dairy
men recognize that some COWS are
star boarders" but do not apprec-
late that many cheap cows pay so
little beyond the cost of main
tenance that five or six such COWS
are required to produce as much
net profit as one real good one.
Most of our dairymen would make
more net revenue if they had the
investment that they have invested
in cheap stock invested in less
of heavy producers.
OF course the ultimate improve
ment of this situation will depend
upon greater attention being paid
TO breeding from our best producers
instead of killing all their calves.
har M unnd will
not be increased nor the situation
by the mere buying and
selling of COWS now in service but
the necessary steps toward an Im-
provement will follow more quickly
with a fuller appreciation of the i'm
portance of high-class cows and
strenuous competition for the best
stock available.
Some striking illustrations Of the
importance of good stock were not
ed recently in berry fields near
and Sumner. One two
year old patch was noted especially
1t had been set partly from some
good well selected stock and partly
from unsolicited plants taken from
an ordinary patch. - 1t is doubtful
whether the yield will be more than
half as large from the unsolicited
plants as from the selected ones.
A careful observer will notice
difference in the vigor,
producing capacity, quality and size
of fruit from individual plants Of
one variety in any given patch. The
writer's attention was recently cal
led especially to the extreme varia-
ton in the tendency of Cuthbert
from different plants in
the same patch to crumble. Indis-
criminate use of plants from such
a patch would be folly but would
not be uncommon amongst careless
growers. The variation in size and
Iusciousness of fruit from individ-
ual plants is quite striking and this
characteristic bears directly upon
their market value.
Fruit trees show equally as strik-
ing variations and the selection OF
scions from the superior tree is de-
cidedly important. So on through
the whole category of plant and
animal life,one cannot expect the
best results without selecting good
stock. Good stock alone will not
give good results unless accompa-
MED with good care but likewise
good care is largely thrown away
if expended upon poor stock. If
the grower does not select his own
stock but prefers to purchase his
stock it is important to deal with
a man who is not only honest but
who knows how and is producing
good stock. 1t is seldom wise TO
buy cheap grades of stock especi-
ally in the purchase of a perennial
nature. where a purchase of poor
stock may mean an annual loss for
years.
Even in the purchase of seeds