Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1920-10-21
WOOD COUNTY
FAVORS HIGH
BREDSTOCK

Mr.. w. W. Clark,
| Agricultural Agent, Wood County,
Grand Rapids, Wisconsin.
Ny Dear Mr.. Clark.
Wood County has done things in live
stock lines which have won wide re-
cognition. We wish to take this op-
portunity to congratulate it's stock
men upon the leadership which they
have shown.
Its four community breeders asso-
Citations have done much in further
| ing the work of the cow-testing asso-
| Citations, and many of it's Individual
men have contributed generously in
building the good name of Wood
county as live stock center. Its two
cowtesting associations are now
thoroughly established, and their Of
ficials should soon have some interest
ing reports to make. There are now,
as you may know, 1,340 silos on your
2,786 farms, which indicates an in
crease of nearly 100 during last year
Since 1910 there have also been added
26.733 acres to your acreage of culti-
waited crops.
Although we are sorry that your
county is not entering exhibits in the
Junior Live Stock Exposition at
Madison, October 1922, still we hope,
and in fact we anticipate a group Of
young people from your county to Wis
it the exposition. We could then ex-
pect the county to be we'll represented
in next years show. After all is said
and done, we can hardly hope to carry
out a good broad program for better
live stock within county unless we
consider our boys and girls-the fu-
live stock breeders. If they are brot
in close contact with really good live
stock and become practiced in raising
and fitting them for the market or for
milk production, then they will learn
to see the dignity and the value and
pleasure in farming.
1t would be a very gratifying record
if the high schools in your county
which teach agriculture would train
and enter a team of three boys in the
annual High School Live Stock Judg-
ing contest this winter Possibly you
could send each of your teachers Of
agriculture letter pointing out to
them the value of this fine piece of ex-
tension work, or one of the members
of your association could visit the
teachers and discuss the educational
importance of this work in person.
This years contests promise to be
| the best and the hardest fought COM
petition yet held, as you can imagine
| the fine training and stimulus that
your local boys who are entering the
competition will receive | assure you
that it is a mighty fine sight to see
the boys at work, earnestly noticing
all of the fine points of five different
classes Of live stock, as [ saw them
at Madison last fall. The remarks
hat some of them made after the "a
wards had been given out were worth
| hearino | heard one young fellow
say, "Well, didn't pick the right type
of calf in the first place, but you bet
Pm going to know better next time. .
That's the spirit, Of course, that is
making a reputation for your county
Wood, in common with other coun-
ties, undoubtedly will make good pro-
gress in organizing its efforts to ex-
tend the use of purebred sires, and
with it's customary good teamwork
should be able to boost its percentage
of purebred sires. The percentages
in the various counties of the state
have ranged all the way from II to II
and Woods enterprise should event
ually place the county well up among
the leaders. While the hey day of the
scrub bull is about over, we still have
much to do in this drive, as well as in