Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-22
What Makes a Runt /?
U. S. Seeks Reason

pears among our domestic animals.
The United States department OF
agriculture has set itself to the task
of finding out how often the runt
occurs and what are the causes of his
appearance. AS q base upon which
to build the runt investigation. the
Bureau Of Animal Industry is asking
| 1000 prominent American breeders to
contribute all that they have learned
about the dwarfed animal.
Thru effort and study many phases
| of breeding have come to the point
of science. There are other myster ,
les that still battle investigators. The
department of agriculture does not
| consider the runt question unsolv-
able.
Is the rupt an unavoidable result
! of natural law or is it chilly the
product OF carelesA breeding, Of poor
feeding, or Of neglect to protect it
| from parasites and disease? The de-
partment of agriculture proposed to
ind out and the bureau Of animal
| husbandry is preparing to conduct a
campaign against it.
A QUESTIONABLE has been sent out
to American breeders upon which
| they are asked to submit their own
observations and deductions. The
results will be compared with data
which the bureau has been gathering
! from experiments and other sources.
1t is already known that certain con-
| ditions OF feeding and breeding will
10
ton to enable one to guard against
these, conditions is needed, and it is
hoped that the breeders will be able
to assist In solving these problems
| thru their experiences.
The runt requires more care and
as much barn room as any other ami
| NAL, while the inferior quality of it's
| flesh gives 1t lower market value.
Undoubtedly a large amount of
| money Is lost by the farmers every
year on account Of feeding and caring
for runts. The QUESTIONABLE Is re-
produced below. Any breeder who
does not receive a copy direct from
the bureau is urged to take the
| questions from this announcements
! and answer them. The more replies
the more valuable will be the result,
| Of this study. Your letter to the
bureau of animal industry will be
| welcomed. The questions follow:
l. From your experience. in what
classes of live stock do the mos,
runts appear (horses, cattle, hogs
sheep, etc.)?
2. How many Of your farm ami
mails excluding poultry), on the
basis of every 100 born, are runty.
understood, or OF inferior develop
! ment?
3. Mark the three principal causes,
In your opinion, Of runty stock.
Inferior breeding.
| Parasites dice: worms, etc.)
Contagious disease.
Inadequate or unsuitable feed.
| Lack of adequate housing or care.
| Exposure.
| Accident.
| importantly
4. In what stage of the animalI
| development Infancy or before
weaving, or later) does runtiness
chiefly begin?
o. In your own experience what
are the most practical ways of pre-
venting runts? Give details.
| .. Does 1t pay to try to raise runts
| to market size?
Z. To what extent would vo,r
financial returns from live stock he
increased II you had no runts?
8. Make comments stating wba+bar
you believe runty live stock can no
reduced in numbers and give actual
instances in which animals which
| showed runty indications deve1oned
| INTO normal size.
.. cave the proportion of runts in
your poultry flock. Mention the rhier
cause and best prevention.
Farm Notes.
Corn is never stationary in quality
l. either improves or retroeral,es
| inere is no more excuse for farmers
raising scrub corn than scrub cattle.
In graduating the cocklebur. re-
| member that AZ carries donh1e-
barreled gun. Every bur carries two
seeds. only one of which sprouts the
first year. Even when the product OF
that seed has been killed the other
will be in shape to make trouble the
next season.
rests made by the United States
department of agriculture with 1870
lots OF Australian wheats recently in
| troduced into this country have
brought out three varieties adapted
for growing on the Pacific coast,
where they have produced larger
yields than some of the native com
Federation, Hard Federation, and
White Federation. The Australian
varieties in general are susceptible to
most cereal diseases, but many of
these are not destructive in the Pa
cific coast region.
From 1000 to 1000 tons of tomato
seeds go to waste each year in the
big pulpingi plants east Of the Mis-
sissippi river. Investigations by the
United States department Of agri-
culture indicate that they can be
profitably recovered and converted
into an edible oi1"and a press cake or
meal for stock feed, with a gross
return Of more than $4,000 and net
of about $4,000. Plants would OPP
crate two months a year on tomato,
seeds and might be used for grape
and pumpkin seeds in addition, re-
ducing the overhead.
Advices received from Brazil say
that 80 per cent of the new cotton
plants there have been destroyed by
small sucking insect of the family
Of lace bugs. which extracts the juice
of the leaves. thereby killing the
plants. The Brazilian cotton crop
will be very short this year as a re-
suit, and government scientists there
Gre seeking means to check the raw
ages of the insect. No immediate
danger is seen of an invasion OF this