Norwich bulletin., 1917-12-26

livestock on our farms is accountable for tile deplorable condition of the iarms ins many sections of New Eng land. Vacant pastures. cheap hay and high priced meat, combined with scarcity of Ia bor, will surely accelerate beef production in New England. Beef can be produced extensively in many of our pastures and on cheap roughage during the winter months and intensively by tobacco farmers, potato growers and other specialists who should carry stock of some kind t. help supply the fertilizer needed for their business, q problem that is grow Ing increasingly difficult. This side line would also aid in the distribution of labor throughout the year.
 Hay in New England is unreason- ably low when compared to other sec tions of the country. The hay market has been seriously cut by the intro auction of autos and trucks. Last summer hay was offered as low as S3 | in remote districts and a lot of grass was allowed to remain standing large | ly because of the extreme scarcity of 1 farm labor and partly for the above | reasons. Hay west of the Mississippi l IS this winter bringing as high as $32 a ton. Nearly 50 per cent. higher than i Cohnecticut prices. These facts com | bined to make attractive to the New l Englander the production of beef by 1 tile pasture and roughaSe route. The world has never known as uniformly 1 high prices for breeding stock, particu- l larly in Herefords and Shorthorns. The l grand champion Hereford bull at the | recent international sold at auction l for S31 900. and during the same show 1 q Shorthorn bull calf was sold for 1 $17,500 also at auction. While these l are record prices for cattle of this kind | they are not inconsistent with the pre- vailing prices of good cattle sold at | auction throughout the country during l the past year. In northern New Eng | land the Hereford is proving extreme Ky hco r. | ly doing better in pasture and through the rigorous winters than the compet- l ing breeds. However. a very great interest in milking Shorthorns has de- Veloped during the past two years and 1 those who have really good cattle of | this breed, so popular in England, are | i'll a position to cash in their surplus stock at very attractive prices.
 l It would not seem rash to predict that the milking Shorthorn will here
 as in England, supply a large amount
 of milk and beef as our country de
 Velops.
 Present conditions would seem to
 warrant the keeping of beef cattle on
 pasture, hay and silage largely, sup
 plementing the winter alton with root
 crops and light grain feeds where
 needed. Barn accomm odations need
 not be expensive, in fact, open shed
 feeding has proven not only satis-
 factory in economy of feed per pound
 of grain but at the same time an i'm l nOrtant item in the saving Of labor
 Much of the expensive equipment needed in the dairy business is done ! away with and for remote districts ! ord conditions where for any reason ) 6airving is improbable, beef cattle
 should received consideration
 A maximum gain during the first year is desirable in fact, many cattle are now marketed at less than two years of age, and this should probably hold true under the conditions out lined. -.s-..--
 Labor must be kept down and the extensive use of expensive purchased
 grains is prohibited in the production , of beef for market. Good cattle of whatever breed SC l le cted will play important part il
 tie success of the project and gooe feed should not be wasted on a poo
 animal under any circumstatces. In
 diVidual skill arfd shrewdness in buy i ing, feeding and selling is also a ver1 . important consideration in the sue , cessful handling of a beef project. We as people have not been de yeIoping stock or stockmen to any great extent for the past several years : We have. however. come to a turning point to it is our patriotic duty wei as our privilege to try and utiliz, much Of our neglected pasture ant
 meadow land and to materially in , crease the food products produced
 within our state.-H. l.. Garrigus Connecticut Agricultural College.