Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-07
ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR
FARMERS AND BREEDERS

To interest the farmers in growing
baby beef the Iowa Beef Producers
association, Ames, Iowa, has decided
to run two 'beefsteak special trains
during the year. 1t Is also planned to
promote calf shows at all the principal
farmers short courses and institutes
in the state this year.
Iowa farmers need not fear the free
importation of meats under the new
tariff, at least for the immediate fu-
ture," said Dean Charles +. Curtiss of
the Iowa state college,. THE beef fam
inc Is worldwide. The government Is
seeking to make partial restoration
of the ranges to provide feeding stuff,
but the ranges will never come back
fully. The beef problem must be solv-
ed by the corn belt farmers, who grow
their own beef, feed corn silage and
alfalfa, the feeds that produce the
cheap gains, and who finish the handy
weight early maturing animal for the
market in from fourteen to eighteen
months"
Baby Beef Profitable.
That growing baby beef is the key
to profitable production was further at
firmed by Professor w. H. Pew, head
of the department of animal husbandry
at Iowa state college, and by Charles
Fischer of Botna, president of the Beef
Producers ASSOCIATION. THE younger
animals make more economical gains
with less concentrates and roughages
per hundred pounds gain, and they
make them faster said Professor
Pew He urged that the farmers use
breeding stock more representative or
early maturity. That better herd ami
mails have been in large demand this
past year, and that there is a good fu-
ture for this class of business was his
belief.
That the yearling~ steer. the handy
| weight animal about 100 pounds, is
the butchers ideal, was demonstrated
to us by a specific test" said Charles
Escher. Two animals, brothers. one
| two-years old, the other yearling.
were fed and finished by us under ex-
actly the same conditions. At the In
ternational the blue ribbon for the fin
est careasses was placed on the year
! ling. What the butcher wants is the
baby beef animal"
| Although the region lying between
! the continental divide and the Goa st
range has been making strenuous ef-
for to establish the hog. the blight of
that industry, disease, Is irrepressible.
| All through California;, and Puget
Sound region. Idaho and Utah decimin-
alton of swine herds has been constant
and disastrous. Consult supply statis-
| tics at Omaha and Sioux City and a
! decided hog shortage Is disclosed. The
! reason is that coast butchers are b"r-
ing almost Under the smoke OF the
packing houses at those points. Seattle
and Portland are buying hogs as far
east as Sioux Falls and Yankton. S. D..
and need them so badly that they offer
better terms than can shippers supply
! ing eastern markets or local packers.
| Contention that the hog Of the inter-
mountain region woul3 be immune to
most Of the diseases to which porcine
! flesh is heir has been discredited.
J A veritable cattle wing furore is
! raging all over the territory living be-
! tween Chicago and the Pacific coast
! Scores of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri
/ feeders who attended the annual Den
! yer sale failed to secure single car
/ load Louis Keefcr, the bic distllery
feeder returned empty -handod. Just
. how mnnv cattle he needed he did not
disclose. but bis failure deprived the
I railroads, running between Denver and
! Peoria of considerable revenue Frank
Brainerd, Just back from tho Dakotas
| and Wyoming says he could have sold
! 10000 cattle in week at any price
( within reason and buyers would not
! have asked to lOol. at the stock. So far
! northern buyers hav" hcen unable to
get stockers. as southern breeders ore
asking prOhihtive r~icns. since the
Chicago fat stock show was held last
! December. there has been q general adj
! vance of 81 per cwt. in stocker values
I and tn" price is still ASCENDING. All in
dirat ions warrant the prediction that
1914 cattle trade will attain the highest
/ level of values in market history.
I Reports from southwestern Texas are
that you can buy Mexican federal
generals commission now for u ham
sandwich and a cup Of coffee. Chica go
Live Stock World.
In the detailed report of live stock
issued by the department of agricul
| ture Iowa heads the list with the
greatest number of cattle. hogs, sheep
| horses and mules with Texas, second
| Missouri third and Illinois fourth.
Iowa Heads the List.
Iowa headed the list with com
bined total of 13.769OO0, or practically
a million more than Texas, with 12.
! $4,000 head of all kinds of stock tc
her credit.
The state of Missouri is third on the
list with a combined total of 9,414 ,00C
and Illinois is close fourth, having