The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1920-07-28
Woods
Can Accomplish Generations

Can Accomplish In
(fre pared by the United States Depart.
ment Of Agriculture.)
"What is the use Of all this
noise about Better Sires and Better
StockT" 1t was one Of the well-to-do
farmers of the county who was talk
ing. Look at those steers over yon-
der. No purebred sires among their
ancestors so far as know. But they
are good enough for me. tell you.
Bascom." he said earnestly, coming
over to the fence beyond which the
county agent sat in his flivver, I'll
admit we've got q lot Of help in a
scientific way from the information
you've brought us, but on this stock
proposition It's different. believe In
good stock, Of course. and take a rea-
sonable pride in my animals, but what
is the use of overriding it7 We better
move along the way we have been for
the past 20 years, say. Sometimes
we get some poor animals, of course,
but the creatures on my place suit me
pretty well. My father, on the old
farm back East, never worried about
purebred sires and he made fair liv-
ing. What was good enough for faith
er is good enough for me-"
"HOld on a minute" said the county
agent, stopping his motor and coming
over to the fence. you've always
listened to what have had to say in
the past and want you to listen to
me now, for the simple reason that
1t means dollars and cents to you. It's
nothing In my pocket, but 1t will mean
more profits for you when you sell
your livestock products.
F "Now here Is the dope, as the boys
say: United States department OF
agriculture men, other animal hus-
bandry specialists. poultry specialists,
and all the rest have figured this thing
out on a broad basis. There are no
two ways about 1t. Better slres mean
better stock; that means better mark
etable products, and that means bet
ter profltsl"
Boy Converts His Father.
For an hour Bascom, the county
agent, and Sam, the farmer, talked
over the better-sires campaign, the
county agent skillfully citing examples
from his own personal knowledge and
from reports he had read. He told, for
instance, of New Jersey boy who
was Influenced to buy high-grade
COW for $155, quite to the disgust Of
his practical" father who owned five
cows, which he claimed, and truth
fully, were "as good as the average In
the neighborhood." On freshening. the
boys COW gave "a quarts Of milk, and
kept 1t up for long period, while
nore of the fathers cows was able
to make any such record. Finally the
father saw the point and confessed
| that 1t was a. deal more profitable
| to expend his labor and feed on we'll
bred animals than on his so-called
| average COW.
The incident set the county agents
friend to thinking, and the former
lost no opportunity to press his point
home.
| Breeding Counted.
"Sam." he went on. ''you don't be-
gin to realize what this thing will
mean on your place. Right breeding
| counts every time. The United States
department of agriculture tells Of an
Oklahoma farmer who owned two reg
istered Shorthorn yearling bulls that
he priced highly for breeding pur-
poses. A butcher saw those bulls and
on asking the price learned that they
were registered and that 1t would take
$500 to buy the two. What did he
do but pay the $500. and when he
killed them he said they were the
cheapest cattle he had bought for q
long time, because they cut the bet
ter kinds Of beef. and more Of It. My
private opinion Is 1t was too bad tC
deprive the community Of the use Of
those purebreds, even though thu
butcher was willing to pay the price
But this is the big point: Breeding
counted In dollars and cents in tha
case. and It does every time"
Hogs Pay Despite High Price.
| Turning from the subject Of cattl,
to hogs, the county agent told of wha
North Carolina boys had been doing
"Eveh though hogs had never been o
high" he said, hundreds of boy
bought pure-bred pigs with the Il
pectation of selling their Offspring
Those lads were not disappointed
Through their county agents, the pig
were sold at splendid prices and NOR
. than one Of their dads was converts
by the experience to the use of pure
bred sires::"
"See here" said the county agen
pulling two photographs from hi
pocket "these were taken down