Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-01-06
Exercises Grow More Inter
esting as Week Progresses,
and Real knowledge Is
Gained by Those Present,
MAN WITH THE HOE
GETS SMALL RETURNS
IS the Hardest Worked and
Poorest Paid Wealth Pro-
Queer in the World, Opinion
Of Speakers at Meeting,

Las Cruces. Jan. 1.-THE farm
especially the New Mexico farm as
self-sustaining unit" was the topic
that to a large extent. under various
headings, occupied the attention oil
the New Mexico Farmers congress
at the state college this forenoon.
Diversified Farming" therefore
was discussed In all of its aspects
Everythin from swat the Rooster
Day." to "Dehorning Steers was
preached in detail. But Il all
simmerod down again TO The Cow
| the Hog and the Hon" az life savers
, in the southwest
Many Farmers Are Fools.
The farmer is the hardest worked
and most imposed upon individual
4; in the United states and receives the
least returns for his investment and
| labor of any worker in the United
States, and yet, he Is the greatest
wealth producer in the world, ac-
cording to the speakers today The
trouble is that the farmers do not
organize, do not cooperate, do not
standardize, in other words, do not
get in touch with their agricultural
colleges, do not look to them for ad-
vice, for instruction and leadership.
If every farmer in the state would
attend a congress like this, he would
! carry home enough practical ideas
to double his income inside OF a year
besides making better living. After
all, that would be worth while
Feeding for Profit.
The first subject was that of feed
ing steers for market. AS the sub
jcct was unfolded, IT became appar-
emf that making profit IN feeding
I livestock is not as simple and easy
n matter as one would gather from
random editorials in the New Mex
leo press. Here again, the advice
/ given by the agricultural COLES :
would save heavy losses, prevent
many easily avoided mistakes.
! Professor r. W. Christensen tole
\ of the results Of q series OF steer
! feeding experiments at the college
and DR.. \. s. Robertson told of hit
experience in the same 'iue. Thu
lesson was that 1t does not pay "a
! feed steers for market in New Mex
! leo. At the present, unless II Is fui
the purpose of finding a market fol
; Iulm DlOQuttS liisih fttti nv ~ ib'''
keted at a profit otherwise. MOI
does it pay unless the feeder can sell
his finished stuff at TWO cents \
pound higher than he bought H. TINS
thought pounded into the heads OF
| those desiring to go into the Ieedihf
| business will prevent many a disap-
| pointment.
Professor Christensen who Is nli.
triton chemist at the college, had
taken ten calves, ten yearlings, ten
two-year and ten thrce-year-old
steers and divided them into two
lots. feeding one on alfalfa solely
and the other half for 100 days on
n balanced ration of alfalfa and milo
maize. He kept accurate record oil
gain in weight. Of amount OF iced
used. of dressed beef produced. The
problem was to convert alfalfa ana
coarse grain into meat at a profit
! He found, for instance. that 1t takes
more feed to produce q pound OF tal
than a pound Of lean meat; that
! other things being equal. that calves
laid on more weight with less reed
than older steers, that the Older
steers made a better finish and that
n ell-balanced ration means oct
ter finish. but that In New Mexico
! the most money is made by feedlnE
icalves with roughings and then I'M
1 ished with balanced ration than IT
any other way. He found that feed
ing alfalfa alone il cost 4.l3 cents te
Law on a. pound on a calf, 6 cents OF
a yearlng. els cents on a two-year'
old and 1894 cents on three-year-
old steer. Balanced rations cost Ga
cents per pound Of added meat foi
calves, cents for yearlings, 81
cents for two year-olda and ll.8s
cents on steers. TO reduce 1t to plain
figures. a calf that cost s25 became
worth $50 after 100 days of feeding
with a total Of 1862 pounds OF alfalfa
Add the cost Of labor. of interest. Of
plant, Of depreciation or losses. and
the margin of profit even under the
most favorable circumstances, Is
maxims well worth deep meditation
before taking mp feeding Of cattle
for market
The figures given by Professor
Christensen were most interesting
on the alfalfa rations. the cattle
GAINED from 1903 TO 1857 pounds a
day. tncN consumer lo.ob W si+f
pounds per day; and to produce a
pound Of additional weight il took
from s.26 to 2l.SS pounds. The rate
of gain decreased as the age OF the
individual increases. Al the begin
ming Of the experiment, the cattle
weighed from 42S TO 1923 pounds
each, finally. at the conclusion they
weighed from 627 to TAG pounds
dressed from 500 to 645 pounds, the
per cent of the dressed beef ranging
, from 5g.75 to $3.50 in alfalfa-fed
beef ana $50 to 1892 in balanced
ration beef. OF the balanced ration
iI2.05 to e1.s7 pounds a day We're fed,
per pound gained Isl 80 lt.l6
pounds.
Dr. \. s. Robertson. who started
10 feed last winter. alfalfa, ensiIage
and cotton seed meal, found ihat M
cash profit after some seven months
on 1G steers WAS si2g. BiH he made
ma allowance for Interest on caplt0l
/ invested, nor for his own time, nor
I lor depreciation on the other hand,
he did not figure any profit on tho
manure or the poultry. The iast it"in
alone figuring about ssa0, He found
also thai Steers sent 90 Kansas eiis
Melted about Il cent pound more