Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1921-05-18
WITH The COUNTY AGENT
Hi Spots from the County Agricultu-
raj Office

raj Omce
| Together with the organization Of dairyme.
| in Vernon county in hte interest Of improving
their herds By testing them for milk and hut
terfat production through . COW testing Is
ISOLATION. there comes = demand for tubercu
lin testing Of cattle. While the dairymen Of
the county realize the need of keeping Roo<
cattle. they alec realize the need Of healthy
cattle. Already one community nj the coun
~. that of Ontario. has subscribed 500 head
Of dairy cattle TO be given q community tn.
berculin test Just when the test for tuber.
enlosis can be carried out is not known. Two
factors limit the work TO be done in this coun.
ty, namely. the availability of men to do ths
testing and the availability Of funds TO carry
out the work. While this problem is being
worked out It Is well to view the situation
from a federal standpoint. In order che. tn
MISREPRESENTATION work may be continued,
Secretary Of Agriculture Wallace. at the ur-
gent request Of Members Of Congress and
others interested in the live stock industry, has
asked that emergency fund amounting to
100000 be included in the deficiency bill of
the present Congress. to be used in the pay
ment Of indemnities for tuberculous cattle.
II is estimated by the Bureau of Animal Indus
try that this amount viii be necessary to car
ry on the slaughtering of tubercuIous cattle
until June 80. the end OF the present fiscal
year.
MORE REACTORS THAN YEAR AGO
For the present fiscal year. says the sec
rotary. in requesting the deficiency appropri-
alton, 100000 was provided in the agricul-
tural appropriation act for operating expenses
in the eradication of tuberculosis, and $6s0,z
for the payment of indemnities for tuberculous
cattle slaughters. On account of the number
Of reacting animals found, the sum provided
for indernnities is practically exhausted"
There remains sufficient funds TO carry on
the operating expenses for the remainder of
the fiscal year. but. because the fund provided
for indemnities is exhausted, il has been ne
eessary 70 discontinue the testing of new herds
II the emergency fund asked by Secretary
Wallace IS passed in the deficiency bill, the
eradication work can continue without SER
ious interruption.
For the first eight months of the present
fiscal year. the secretary continues. there
we're found by the tuberculin test s2,424 tuber-
culous cattle; whereas for the same months
of the previous year there were found only
1928 reaetors. This is not an indication that
tuberculosis is on the increase because there
were tested. from July /. 1920. to February
Is, 1921, 792,39S cattle with Al per cent Of
reactors; whereas during the previous year
for the same months there were tested 4Ie,a76
cattle with 4.3 per cent of reactors
Another fact that should be taken into
consideration is that the market value of cat
tie has decreased to an extraordinary degree !;
in fact the salvage received from the sale of
tuberculous cattle approximately s12 per
head less during these right months than dur
ing the previous fiscal year. thus making il
necessary that the department pay a larger
percentage Of indemnity than heretofore.
1T is estimated that for the balance of the
fiscal year there would be condemned for tu-
berculosis 1880 cattle. and at an average
rate of indemnity of $50 per head the total
claims for Federal indemnity would amount
to s405.o00. Therefore. this additional sum
would be necessary to keep the work going
along uninterruptedly TO June 80"
Under the present practice the Federal Gov
eminent pays not exceeding one-third of the
difference between the appraised value of the
reactor animal and the salvage obtained there
from, the maximum amount payable from the
Federal appropriation in any case for a grade
COW being s25. and for a purebred $50. The
of the loss due to the slaughter of
an animal for tuberculosis Is borne by the
state county alone or by the state or coun-
ty and the owner. depending upon the law in
the state where the animal is slaughtered. That
the various states are alive to the Importance
of the tuberculosis work Is shown
by the fact that the SO states. in which lesia-
latures have been in session since January !.
have appropriated nearly 100000 for this
purpose. and nearly s775.O00 as emergency APP
preparations.
For the present let US get Cow Testing As
socistions working to the greatest good of
every dairyman who milks for profit as well as
pleasure.
AFTER THOUGHTS
Have you decided what you are going TO ex-
hibit at the county fair. community fair or
school fair as yet If not. do SO at this time.
There is no time like the present.
Are you watching the orchard to apply the
calyx spray? If so. spray with a solution
made up of one gallon of lime sulphur and
one pound of arsenate of lead in 40 gallons
of water when four-ffths of the petals have
fallen. that is. after complete pollination has
taken place and the calyx cups are still wide
Open
Have you looked over your clover fields to
see If you are to have clover or viii have to
pillow up and put in some other forage crop.
II SO. better have the county agent test your
soil for aeidity before you try clover again.
In the mean time SOW soy beans of either
Manchu Ito-San variety. Demand one Of
these two varieties unless you do this you may
buy of twenty varieties that never will
be success in Wisconsin. Don't forget the
incubation for the soy beans. Sow the beans
alone in that you might cultivate them as
corn. When filing silo. fill with two loads
of corn and one of soy beans.
Are you in need of ground limestonef If
so. 20 to the new limestone quarry for a good
quality of limestone. a material which tested
9l.2qo calcium carbonate.