The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1917-09-01

CBy PROF. JAMES WILSON. South Da-
kota Agricultural College,
Breeders of Shorthorn cattle should
be interested in the cost of producing
a Shorthorn bull to the age of twelve
months. OF course this varies in diff
ferent localities and with different
breeders, but having produced hun
dreds of purebred calves. ! appreciate
the fact that some do not care To have
their twelve months old calves as
large or as heavy as this one was, but
for early maturity the calves must be
fed. | know of no better place to crib
grain than in purebred Shorthorn
calves-even If IL does cost two and
three cents pound.
Interested in Cost.
A few years ago l was interested in
knowing how much it actually cost the
state Ia produce Il bull ut twelve
months Of age ut the pace we were go
ing. so / selected calf that was ten
days old and weighed him for the trial.
a daily record was kept of his feed.
also that OF his mother. and he weighed
every 80 days. He received just or
binary attention. no more than hun
dreds of bulls that | have fed of this
breed under similar conditions. This
calf was born December Z, 1912. He
received his mothers milk (nO nurse
COWS; would not give much for the
cow that cannot nurse her own calf),
and because of his age was not al
lowed to run with her and the re-
mainder of the herd when she was
turned on grass. May 10, the following
year. The mother is pure Scotch
COW of less than medium scale and
only an average milk producer. Bull
calves of this age do not do we'll when
turned with the herd in the spring To
fight flies and worry all summer.
Grazing in the evening would have
been all right for this calf, but not
having a suitable pasture he was kept
in the yard day and night, and the
expense of growing is probably few
dollars more than Ii would have been
had we had a good pasture and sew
| eral other bulls to have turned out
| with him in the evening after he was
| fed his grain ration.
Attracted Attention.
There was something" about this
| bull that attracted the attention of
everyone who saw him. His type as
/ Shorthorn, his size for his age, his
character as bull, his solid dark red
| color. all had bearing. When calves
of this age have great big thick horns
and the horns have been trimmed or a
wee bit sawed off the ends ii is evil
dence that the calf has been neglected.
Probably he has lost his milkfat and
an effort is being made to put it back
with grain.
The Shorthorn is the most popular
breed of cattle in the United States to-
day. The popularity must be credited
to the fact that as breed 1t comes
nearer filling the dual-purpose capacity
than any other. The cows are fairly
good mixers. and when put on the
market make good beef. Now do not
claim this breed In its entirety is as
good for milk production as breed
developed along strictly dairy lines or
as food for beef production as breed
developed solely along beef lines. but
milk.
Milk for Calf.
When this calf was ten days old he
weighed I'D pounds, not an extra large
weight for a calf of the breed. At this
time the mother weighed 1,160 pounds.
1t was our intention to feed her ra-
ton out of which she could make milk
for the calf and maintain her own
weight. as she was not an extra fat
COW. We made a mixture of 200
pounds of oats, 80 pounds Of corn. %
pounds of bran and one-tenth as much
of the total by weight of oilmeal. The
idea of astiing the bran was to compel
more thorough masticatiOn of the grain
before swallowing and to furnish pro-
TEN and mineral matter. In addition
to this ration she was fed ordinary
wild hay. At this time the row was on
full feed. or II pounds of the mixture
per day and all the hay she wanted. At
the end of 80 days her grain ration was
increased TO IA pounds of the mixture,
and at the end of GO days the two were
eating 10 pounds, as the calf at this
time had learned to eat grain with its
mother When the calf was eighty
days old he was fed in a separate box
beginning with four pounds of the
same mixture and gradually increas
ing. giving him all he would eat after
he had sucked his mother.
Grain for Calf.
On May 10 the cow was turned Il
grass and was brought In morning an,
5 evening to nurse the calf. Her grail
!. rations was gradually reduced an,
4 that of the calf increased. At this tim
' the mother weighed 1,134 and the cal
554. The calf was now five month
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II Doesn't Pay.
When a man buys a tuberculous M