The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-08-09
TECUMSEH FARMERS
PREPARE OWN FEED.
Simplify Problems and Save Mon
ey by Cooperative Scheme.
BUY ON QUANTITY BASIS
Also Obtain Standardized Mixture of
Pure Grains, and Wide Market
in Southern Michigan.
From Office Of Publications, Michigan
Agricultural COLLEGE.

FROM OHice OF PUBLICATIONS, michigan
Agricultural College.
East Lansing. Mich.-AIanager c. III.
Beebe of the Tecumseh Cooperative
association. sat in his office and watch
ed the feed prices soar-but not for
long. The ''sittin" habit is not held
in very high repute in Lenawee county,
of which Tecumseh is II leading com
munal adornment. Finally, when the
aforementioned prices had scared to an
altitude record that would have caused
the late uH4t,mented Baron Richtofen
10 effervesce AT the mouth, the mana
ger snorted and also rose. His snort
WAS such II one rs might have been
emitted by his agricultural forebears
when upon beholding the Redcoats
marching up Lexington way in 1916,
they dropped their hoes to grab their
musketS.
1t should be explained that Tecumseh
Is In n dairy district-and the new
feed prices. quite naturally, brought
CONSERVATION even tn some of the most
efficient of the milk producers.
'This will never do. the manager
was heard To remark-so forthwith
was born the idea which in Tecumseh,
at least, is tending to make the dairy
feed problem somewhat less menacing
Lets make up our own feed" the
manager suggested or maybe ii was the
president or the secretary Of the asso-
citation, but the essential fact Is that
the suggestion was made, and acted
upon.
1t might be Illuminating here to In
sert II word about the Tecumseh Co
operative association, of which Mr.
Beebe Is the manager. AS its name
discloses, it is a cooperative body with
which about 400 Lenawee county farm
ers are affiliated, and from which they
derive such manifold benefits as accrue
to those who have discovered the Sc
cret OF cooperative buying and sell
ing.
or course when such an Organlza-
ton says Lets make up our own
feed" or saw our own wood" 1t is
usually done, But let Manager Beebe
tell about IT,
sour dairy nieG." said the manager,
''have of late been confronted by two
problems. In the first place. the prices
Of dairy feeds have risen to point
where they must be looked upon with
the awe due those who perch In high
places. Secondly, our dairymen have
never been absolutely sure even after
they have paid these luxurious prices
that they have secured standard free
from chaff and filters"
1T was only natural that we should
try our hand at mixing and marketing
feed of our own, and that is what
we are doing. In order to make sure
that we weren't going wrong we sent
a committee to the college, and this
committee, working with the dairy de-
partment of the college, decided upon
standard feed mixture averaging
from 81 to % per cent prOtein-includ-
Ing such ingredients as bran, middlngs,
ground oats, gluten, cottonseed meal,
oil meal, hominy and l per cent salt.
"We are having these mixed for us
in Chicago from the pure grain. Upon
being received by us here. this feed is
being distributed at cost to our men,
bers and to other cooperative associ-
ations in southern Michigan. In place
Of hdgh-priced product of uncertain
quality our dairymen are now being
provided with standard product at n
moderate price,
This price. according to quotations
from Tecumseh, IS $3.50 a ton in bulk.
with a charge of 50 more If sacked.
Commercial feeds of the same quality
are selling from 500 to $40 a ton, which
means that the Tecumseh farmers
stand well In the way of saving from
10 to 20 per cent of their feed costs
through their new venture.
The feed is intended 10 he used with
such roughages as corn slower and mix
ed hay and silage; or If the dairyman
has clover hay. alfalfa and silage,
ground corn and oats could be mixed
with the dairy feed at the rate of two
thirds dairy feed to one-third ground
oats and corn. Without silage, lit
tie additional meal can be used. The
feed Itself, of course, is intended by
the association to he fed In the same
proportions as such dairy feeds are
always fed.
Meanwhile, willie feed prices are still
clinging to the high spots with the
tenacity of mountain goat, the dairy
men Of Tecumseh are not worrying so
much rs many of their neighbors.