Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-01-29
Farm Bureau Notes.

/ C.. L. johnson, president or the Lake
Superior Guernsey Breeders Associa-
ton. were at the Pinehurst Dairy
farm, at Shebovgan Falls, Wisconsin,
and purchased four registered Guern-
sey sires for the Association. These
animals are grandsons of the sire Co
vernon of the Chene, considered the
best sire imported to America from
the Guernsey Island. Two of the
animals, over a year old, came to
Ironwood last week by express. One.
is in the care of C. E. Johnson and
the other in the care of Chas. j. Oh.
son. Just as soon as satisfactory
care takers are found in other COM
munities the other two animals will
be shipped into the country.
Arrangements are being made for.
Farmers Institutes in " akefield,
Bessemer, and Ironw cd, during the
month Of March. Watch the local
papers for dates and programs.
In spite of the poor ensilage last
year, it is. interesting to note. that
those who began with silos last year
are highly pleased with their first ex-
perience. They viii certainly smile
when they get a favorable season for
ensilage. -.
County Agent J f. Kadonsky, ex-
poets to go to Athens, Wis. with a
few farmers to purchase some pure
bred Guernsey cows next week.
Many farmers often make a mis-
take in judging the difference between
pure bred animal and one which is
mixed, commonly called SCRUB or
grade" Often both animals look just
alike az far as external appearance is
concerned, but the power of repro
duction of that of the pure bred ami
NAL cannot be compared to the scrub
or grade. When one makes state
ment that scrub or grade" is just
as good as pure bred, the careful
experienced breeder concludes i'm
mediately that the person does not
know what he is talking about. This
mistake of using scrub or grade sire
instead of pure bred animal cost the
dairy industry III the northwest. mil
lions of dollars each year. We hope
the farmers of Gogebic county will
soon get over making mistakes of this
kind.
There is just as much difference be
tween the work of a pure bred race
horse and a scrub farm horse, on a
race track, as there is between the re.
suits attained from the pure bred dai-
ry animal and that of the scrub farm
dairy animal. In few rare cases we
| find scrub cow which will produc t
just as much milk and of as good. a
quality as the average pure bred COW,
but the chances for his or her off
spring to be high producer, are as a
rule very small. A pure bred ami
NAL has been bred from a long line OF
ancestors with high records. In case
of the sires introduced into Gogebic
county we have records of their an
cestors, every one Guernsey, which
go back seven generations and among
them are some of the best imported
animals. Hence with class of sires
| of this kind the chan ces of producing
animals with high records are very
great. The quickest and cheapest
way for the small Gogebie county
| farmer to grade up dairy herd is to
use pure bred sires. The great dairy
state of Wisconsin is urging this all
over the state and there is a. move
ment on foot to exempt the pure bred
sire from taxation. We hope that
Gogebic county will lead Upper Pc.
ninsula In this movement.
In recent issue of the South Ha-
ven Herald, West Albion, Mimi, is
given an account of the record made
by the Guernsey cow, Loula No. 3,
owned by Mr.. Jacob Hoikka, Fin.
nish farmer at West Albion, Wright
County, Minnesota. This cow pro
duced last year, 1904 pounds of milk
containing Ss4.S pounds of butter fat
worth s12641. A herd of twenty
such cows would give you cream
check of s252s. 30, calves worth nj
least $4,000 and the skim milk would
produce s7Oe. 20 worth of hogs. max
ing total income. of 1854 40 pei
year. When these records were pub
lished many OF the farmers remarked