The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-02-15
LIVESTOCK REPORT FOR 1918

III lciOSh hEI ohl CoR 1910
jefferson City, Mo-, Feb. 1.-THE
Missouri livestock report for 1918, is
sued jointly by E. A. Logan, Field
Agent of the United States Bureau
of Crop Estimates, and Jewell Mayes,
Secretary of the Missouri State Board
of Agriculture, says that there are
now 4,70S,000 hogs in Missouri, or
42S 900 more than were on the farms
year ago. Stock hogs were short
during last summer, and fall pigs
were scarce. Owners and renters on
small farms sold off their hogs very
large operators now report well up to
and above their usual numbers. There
is considerable increase in breeding
stock over the State generally and
special interest has been mentioned in
Pike and johnson counties, while a
large spring pig crop is also predict
ed in the north central section. Acorns
in the Ozarks are plentiful for hogs
running at large. There are now H.
374,000 hogs in the United States.
There was an outbreak of cholera
in Pike county in December and more
or less losses in 100 counties of the
State during the year, the greatest
damage resulting in Bollinger, Butler,
New Madrid, Perry, Ripley, Dunklin,
and other Southeast Missouri coun-
ties. The total loss of hogs from
cholera was 1922, about l per cent
Of the hog population. Hogs are gen.
orally healthy and cholera is less
prevalent now than in former years,
due to a vigorous campaign of Grad
ication by the United States Bureau of
Animal Industry, the State Board of
Agriculture and the College of Agri-
culture. The effectiveness of this CO.
operation is seen in the results OBJ
tanned in treating 2,434 herds having
over 100000 hogs, with loss of but
1913 per cent, while in the same local
tiles S72 herds with $1,000 head not
treated sustained loss of 50 per cent.
Cattle Of all kinds in Missouri have
increased in numbers. There are now
100000 head of milk cows, being an
increase during the past year Of 49,
600. This is especially noticeable in
northeastern section where many of
the counties have increased their
herds. The movement was assisted
by the State Dairy Commissioner and
resulted in numbers of good dairy
cattle being brought in from other
States. Heifers are being saved
throughout the State for breeding
purposes, special attention being paid
to it in the Ozark and north central
sections. The United States has 49,
1884, 900 milk cows.
Other kinds of cattle have also in
creased from 1,65o,0O0 head in Jan
uary, 1917, to 1,782,000 head in Mis-
souri, this year. Considerable num-
bers of feeders and stockers have
been brought in to consume the soft
corn of the north and the forage feeds
of the south sections. Cedar county
has brought in some 1000 head. There
are 43,546,000 head of other cattle in
the United States. The grades of
cattle are reported as improving par
ticularly in far south Missouri.
Cattle are generally healthy, but
blackleg was reported from Benton,
Ozark and other counties. This d.
sease shows tendency to become
more prevalent than few weeks ago,
but is being held in check by VAGINA
ton. An affection locally called
bloody murrain" caused some loss
of calves in Miller county and this
malady has been more or less preva-
lent over the State among young cat
tie. The consensus of opinion among
veterinarians is that this so-called
"bloody murrain" is the intestinal
form of hcmmorrhagic septicemia, a
contagious disease controlled by vac
cination. AS usual, there has been
some loss from corn stalk poisoning.
Sheep have increased 10000 head
during the past year, there being at
this time 1,466,000 sheep on farms in
Missouri. They are said by many
farmers to have increased faster than
any other class of livestock. The high
price of wool and mutton tended to
increase focks, and bringing in west
ern sheep has assisted in increasing
the total of breeding stock. Gala
way and Sullivan counties report a
special increase. Fewer ewes than u.s.
ual have been shipped out of the
north central section and noticeably
fewer eve lambs arrived at the large
markets from Missouri. The United
States has 48,900,000 head of sheep.
Sheep raisers suggest that, as there
are too many dogs in Missouri, being
a great menace to sheep raising, a |
heavy tax be placed on dogs, the pro-
ceeds to go to each county to be paid
for wolf scalps and to pay for sheep
killed by dogs. Wolves are very bad
in Grundy and Stone counties.
Horses have increased during 1917,