Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-10-30
Pure-Bred Stock
On Small Farms Pays

The small farmer is too often, lea
to believe that the breeding of purer
bred cattle presents too many diff
culties and too large an outlay OF
capital for him to attempt to do any.
thing with, says the American Here
ford Cattle Breeders Association. He
has heard and read of the long prices
paid for breeding stock, the expense
connected with advertising and pub
lie sales, until he has put away the
idea of ever getting into business,
,labeling 1t rich mans game.
1t is unfortunate that SO many of
our small farmers have been so led
to believe, for many would make
successful breeders In fact, there
are many instances where this is the
case. The trouble is we have heard
more Of the big men in the business
who are breeding cattle as a play
thing than the man Of limited CAPT.
tai who is paying for his farm and
making his living out of Herefords.
A striking example of what can be
done on a small farm, with a limited
outlay of money, is that Of E. c.
Smith, Cedar county, Iowa. Mr..
Smith bought his first Hereford's
seven years ago. More out Of Curl
osity than anything else, he attended
a dispersion sale of purebred Here
ford's in 1913. When the sale was
over he owned three 3-year- old bred
cows and three yearling heifers. He
then bought well bred young bull
from neighbor, which was his last
purchase until two years later, when
he attended another auction sale and
bougft bred COW and yearling
aheifer. !
The total outlay for purebred
Hereford's on Mr.. Smiths farm was
s2,497:5O. Starting with these few
females, he has up to the present
time recorded 81 head of calves.
During this time $1o,736.12 worth of
purebreds have been sold from the
farm and the present herd contains
40 head of registered Herefords
valued at $4,000.
Records have not been kept Of the
expense of raising these cattle, but
practically ali Of the feed has been
produced on the farm and no, expen-
sive labor has been employed, so that
Mr.. Smith feels with $23, 1912, gross
returns against an original invest
ment of s2,497.50 that Herefords
have paid him we'll for his time.
Disease Free Seed Corn Yield Better.
Seed corn that gave 100 per cent
termination but showed infection by
harmful organisms was matched
against corn that showed no infec-
ton in q series of tests carried out
by plant specialists. The disease free
seed gave an increased yield Of 10 to
30 per cent above its competitor.
Further results of the test seemed
to prove that when corn was planted
too thickly in hill or drill row it was
more susceptible to disease than
when better space was given it. In
similar test at Bloomington, ILL.,, the
disease-free seed gave an increase
of % per cent over the other corn,
which was selected for high germi-
nation only. At Hoopeston, ILL.,, the
difference measured in tons ranged
from 0.01 ton to Is tons in favor of
the seed selected both for high ger
and freedom from disease.
The selection was based on the
absence of discoloration in the ker-
nels and cobs as indicating sound
ness. Disease is indicated by brown
at the butts of the ears
and at the kernel tips and by decay
in the cobs.