The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-03-21
FARMERS SHOULD HAVELNEST0Ck
 ON THEIR LANDS
Keeping of Animals Is Els sential to Sound Agricul-
 ture Expert Says.

sential to Sound Agricul
 ture Expert Says.
 Washington, D. c. March 21:-Sev- en reasons why the keeping of hve stock is essential to sound agriculture are set forth in an article by George M Rommell in the 1916 Yearbook or the IT. S. Department of Agriculture. Briefly. MT. RommePs seven reasons arc the maintenance of soil fertlllty' i+bo utilization of raw material, the heed of motive power on the farm' cash income, the added attractlveness of a farm on which there is live stocK' inc training in business sense obtain ed bv keeping animals, and better ana more economical living for the 1arm family.
 TO maintain soil fertility, says MT. RommeI. humus is necessary. Ihls can be obtained from two sources green crops plowed under, or barn ward manue. When creep crops are plowed under, however, there IS no direct revenue from them. By feed- ing these crops to live stock, valuable products that can be exchanged TOT cash are obtained. At the same time the manure produced by the animals retains a very large percentage or the fertilizing value of the feed. For this reason it is more economical to feeo than to blow under without feeding, and the most practical source or hu- mus is stable manure.
 The farmer with live stock IS rom one point of view a manufacturer He takes lean. unfinished animals and grain or forage as his raw materials and by combining them produces beef. mutton, pork, and dairy prod ucts. Like all manufacturing, this process must be conducted with sk1ll and intelligence if it is to pay, but Ii the farmer possesses these qualities he derives a larger profit than he could obtain through the sale Of crops and animals in the raw state Fur thermore there are many products on the farm which bring little or noth- ing on the market. They can, how ever by skillful management be made to assist in the production or meat. The thrifty farmer makes use Tn this way of all roughage on his farm that would otherwise be unstable. The cornstalks go into the silo or into the shock a scut fodder. The straw and coarse hay are utilized to the last unit of>energy value. Land that can not produce marketable crops is made to yield a certain amount of susten- ance for hogs and sheep.
 While in cities and factories, me- chanical power is coming into more and more general use, on the farms of the country the horse and the mule are still the chief reliance. The prop CT breeding, maintenance, and em- ployment of these animal engines IS a problem of the greatest importance to the farmer.
 As a. source of cash income, the keeping of live stock in many sections is what is known as a speciality busi- ness In dairy districts it is the main activity, and every phase of farm management is determined by it's in terests. Where the principal purpose of live stock feeding, however, is to maintain soil fertility, farms which rely on live stock for the main source of their income will tend to become breeding centers, for purebred anil malls to be distributed through the surrounding county for breeding pur- poses on those farms on which only a limited amount of live stock is kept. The production of purebred animals is a highly specialized business, and only the most skilled animal husband men can make a success of it.
 The fifth function which MT. Rom mel ascribes to live stock on the farm is not so directly connected with prob- lems of income but 1t is nevertheless of vital importance. Experience has shown that nothing tends more strongly to create and maintain an interest in farm life among boys and girls than the care of animals. It is essential to the continued prosperity of this country that young people should be encouraged to make farm ing their vocation in life. Those who have devoted themselves to this work have found that among their most ef- fective aids are the poultry, calf, and pig clubs.
 To the grown farmer the keeping of live stock is indirectly of value because it's successful production re- quires the adoption of systematic, businesslike, and sanitary methods. No kind of farming, says the author calls for more business sense than livestock farming.
 That neglect of live stock results in increasing the cost of living on the farm and in lowering the standard of that living Is fact we'll known to all agricultural authorities. For example, the annual meat bill of farmers for some states is enormous. The meat purchases are made largely on credit, and the proceeds of the years crops are mostly consumed in meeting debts incurred during its production. This practice is obviously antagonistic to