The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-08-19


and are making a survey Of the coun-
ty to get the names Of all p~urebred
breeders who wish TO have their herds
tuberculin tested,
AS soon as this survey is completed
arrangements will be made by County
Agent Gray to have a Federal Neter-
marian come TO the county and in
spect all the herds which have made
a request TO be inspected.
All persons owning pure bred cattle
Of any breed. whether it be beef cat
tie or dairy cattle, should send in a
written request to the County Agent
giving the number Of head in the
herd to be tested and the location of
the farm.
With a pure bred herd on the Fed
eral Accredited list, a stockman, has
a great advantage in selling cattle
either in single assignments or in auc
ton sales, for then delivery of animals
is facilitated and much time can be
saved. For interstate shipments all
cattle have to be t~uberculin tested,
md in many shipping points a quar-
of time after the animals have been
tested.
Several counties in the state have
active in having every purebred herd
on the Federal Accredited list. When
all herds in the county can be listed
on the accredited list there is a great
inducement for the outside purchaser
TO come into the county and purchase
animals, for he has the assurance of
government official tests that these
animals are free from tuberculosis.
The expense OF a federal test is small
in consideration Of the added value it
places on cattle. Likewise it is an ad
vantage to every stockman to know
definitely about the health of each in
diyidual in his herd.
The registration Of alfalfa fields
with the county Judge and the certi-
hcation of fields of known variety are
two important means Of securing a
better price for all seed sold by Mel
lette county alfalfa growers. Already
several fields in the county have been
inspected for certification by County
Agent Gray, and several other alfalfa
growers have requested that their
fields be examined SO that their fields
mighs be registered and examined for
ce~rtification this year.
Registration and certification go a
long way toward the selling Of alfalfa
seed and improve the price per pound,
but the Western Alfalfa Seed Grow
ers Association, just recently organ
lied at Rapid City, is designed to hand
lie all the seed raised by western South
Dakota seed growers.
Congressman William Williamson
has been asked by the South Dakota
Farm Bureau Federation to use his
best efforts to secure legislation,
which will protect purchasers Of alfal
IA seed from the unlabelled foreign
and inferior seeds, which are mixed
with our western and hardy seeds and
sod as all,hardy seed. Secretary Ben
edicts letter to Mr.. Williamson points
out that the market Report for June
IL, 1921, reports imports of Is 26S, 800
pounds of alfalfa seed during the
eleven months ending May l, 1921,
which is more than half of the esti-
mated production last year for the en-
tire country. The foreign seed is
mixed with the Western South Da-
kota alfalfa and sold as our hardy
seed, thereby giving our seed a bad
reputation. This legislation will be a
protection not only to our growers
but also to those farmers east and
south OF us who desire to purchase
our hardy seed.
The board of directors of the West
ern Alfalfa Seed Growers Association
will hold its first meeting since organi
zation on August l6, at which time
the members of the board will consid
er such matters as seed prospects for