The spectator., 1921-09-06

This Purebred Bull Was Badly St mt. ed When a Calf, Mainly for Lac Of Suitable Food, but When ven Adequate Feed and Proper Car De-
 veIoped Rapidly and Later Took
 First Prize in His Class at the State
 Fair.
 specialists consider it dependat @, for the replies have been received from a large proportion of farms on the ac- credited-herd list (having cattle free from tuberculosis), and most of the remainder are from farms whose own. CTS are cooperating with the Depart. rAent of Agriculture and state agricul- tural colleges in the Better Sires- Better Stock" campaign. Those whG answered the questionnaire are, there fore, interested in the control of dis ease and the improvement in quality of domestic animals, and, in general, are progressive live stock owners.
 In addition t. the three principal toned. the reports show that there are numerous other contributing causes. A summary of the opinions from 7S3 live stock owners shows that
 the principal causes of runty live stock are: Inferior breeding. 31.6 per cent; inadequate or unsuitable feed. BOA per cent; parasites and insect pests. 15.1 per cent; inadequate hous- ,ng and care, 12.4 per cent; contagious diseases. 4.9 per cent; exposure, 2.9 per cent; accident, 10 per cent; other causes, IT per cent. It appears that
 .he breeding of well-selected purebred
 stock produces very few understood
 animals, but that with scrubs-espe-
 ,iSly when inbred-the percentage of
 runty stock is high.
 The reports show that runtineSs is
 most prevalent among hogs, the aver
 a.A percentage reported being 1O1.
 This. moreover, includes numbes%of
 farms which reported no runts at all. | One farmer who is breeding good,
 purebred hogs and feeding them a
 variety and plenty of feed, states: | We have not had a runty pig in two years, although the filters sometimes ! contain from 9 to II pigs each.' The results of the inquiry indicate that the size of an animal of good breeding at birth has but little rela- ton to the mature weight where prop CT feed, care and management are provided. This is shown in a num- Der of cases of successful hog raisers who report that lack of uniformity in fairly large filters has been overcome by proper feeding. A cattle breeder in Montana reports that proper feed
 ing and care of runty animal re- suited in developing it to such finish that it took first prize in its class at the state fair.
 It appears from summary of 929 reports that a comparatively small number of animals are born runty. and that most stunting of growth be- gins relatively short time before weaning, or soon afterwards. More than 50 per cent of runty live stock appears during infancy or before weaning, according to reports, while B per cent shortly after weaning, and only A per cent at birth.
 In reply to a question on the prac- ticability of raising runts to market size "A per cent of the replies indicate that 1t Is not profitable, IA per cent answered either yes, or yes with quail ifications. Comments show that a well-bred animal. even though under sized, will develop into just as good
 an animal when 1t is given an equal
 chance. With inherited runtiness due to inferior breeding one stock
 man declared, it does not pay. Othe.
 cases due to lack of proper feed may be raised with profit"