Charlevoix county herald., 1919-09-05
KEEP CLOSER TAB
0N.LVE STOCK
Government to Change System
of Estimates.
WILL BE- MORE THOROUGH
Instead of One Estimate a Year for
the 48 States There Will Be IL
Covering the 5000 Agricultural
Counties in the United States-Sta-
tistics Will Show Age and Sex cIas-
sifications as Well as Quality.

tistics Will Show Age and Sex Cias-
siflcations as Well as Quality.
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture)
Up to this time the United States
department of agriculture has issued a
single estimate, in January of each
year, showing how many head of the
various kinds of live stock there are
in the United States, and one estimate
a year showing losses by disease. Now
| the whole system is to be changed. AS
| soon as the machinery can be got in
operation by the bureau of crop esti-
mates. there will be II livestock esti-
mates a year instead of one. Instead
| of being made for the 4S states they
will be made for the 5000 agricultural
counties in the United States. Instead
of showing merely that there are so
many horses, so many cattle, so many
sheep, and so on, they will be made by
age and sex classifications. That is,
they will show what proportion Is
breeding stock, what proportion grow
ing stock, and what proportion mar
ketable stuff" They will show quail
| ity as well as numbers-the proper
tions of purebred animals, of grade
animals, and of scrubs.
A great deal more than that, even,
| is to be done under the new system.
These surveys will show, besides
actual livestock figures, a great many
things pertaining to and affecting the
livestock industry. They will show
| how many sllos there are and what
they contain, how much feed is on
hand and in prospect available for
feeding TO live stock; and the condi-
tion of pastures and ranges through
out the United States. This showing
will be made every month in the year.
Pasture knowledge Vital.
The aforementioned item, that of the
condition Of pastures and ranges, is
of much greater Importance than
might appear at first blush. Leaving
all of the others out of account for
the moment, it should result in consid-
erable increase of livestock produc-
tion as well as increased profits to a
great many livestock men. 1t will
make possible quick shifts of live
stock from sections where, for some
reason, the pastures are short to
other sections where for the time be
ing the supply Of pasturage is much
greater than required by the live stock
on hand.
Almost every year somewhere in the
United States great numbers of cattle
and sheep suffer for lack Of pasture,
fail to put on weight, and, If they do
not die, are finally sold at consider
able loss to their owners. At the
same time that this is going on, multi
piled millions of dollars worth of
grass goes to waste in various other
sections Of the United States, be-
cause the supply of live stock on hand
Is not sufficient to eat it.
The average farmer who makes live
stock aside line, or even one of his
main lines, plays safe in the matter
of pasture. The number of head OF
live stock he carries is the number
he knows he can carry safely If con
ditions should happen to be such as
1 to cut his pastures short. Very rarely
does he carry the maximum number
that would be possible with his pas
lures at their best or even at normal
1t happens, therefore, when his pas
lures are exceptionally good and ever
when they are normally good, he has
considerably more grass than is need
ed by his live stock.
With reliable monthly reports from
the government each month, showing
Just the condition of pastures every
where, the feeder or range owner whc
finds himself short of grass should
have little difficulty in distributing his
cattle where there is abundance OF
grass, keeping his young and pool
stuff from going to the slaughter pei
before they are ready and general!
making his business more profitable
and more satisfactory.
More Important Work Planned.
All of the other items in the new
program of the bureau of crop esti
mates are equally important, and some
of them are vastly more so. The pub
lication monthly of reliable figures
showing the livestock situation th'
country over should result PRACTICAL!
In putting the livestock business o
the farmer on a more secure basis
The livestock dealer always has th'
means of getting, on his own respon
sibility. a pretty accurate survey o
the situation. but the farmer has M
access to those sources of information
When the government gives him th