Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-03-24
OBSERVATIONS OF A TESTER


Most of us are familiar with the old
hymn, 1T was good enough for father
and it's good enough for me-" Many
farmers and dairymen are running
their farms on the same old system that
their fathers used apparently nor
SHOWING or caring that times have
changed. Most men belong to the same
political party as their fathers did and
likewise the majority belong to GER
tain religious sect because their par
ents belong TO the same. Ancestor
Worship kept China down for cen
turies.
Let's try and break away from some
ii the old ideas and absorb the newer
mes. taking pattern after those who
ave been, and are succeeding rather
han hang ON in the down aud out
lass.
The parents of many of us got along
airly we'll with scrub stock and scrub
uethods that would bankrupt the ay-
rage man today. If we wish To sue
,ocd now we must use better methods
liam before, breed better stock and
axe good care of them. Too many in
RuSk county have been keeping more
took than is profitable under existing
conditions, Too much feed must he
purchased in many eases to leave much
profit even if the stock are of good
grade. Nearly all are keeping several
boarders which lowers the profit still
farther
The saving that the worst fault
with anything cheap is that it costs
100 much" is certainly true in buying
dairy cattle and especially bull
Many say they cannot afford to buy
q high priced bull but let's figure it
out assuming that q man has u COWS
with an average Of 30 pounds of but
terfat. He buys grade bull with no
record for about $500 and the calves
which these cows drop will likely new
er produce more than their mothers,
If as much, and the same with their
heifer calves, if bred to scrub bull.
Now suppose this farmer instead pays
$500 and can get bull With record
of around $50 pounds fat, figuring
that one-half of the calves will be heif-
ers the six, when they grow up, should
produce nearly 100 pounds more than
their mothers or 600 pounds gain each
year. this, selling ut 81 cents per pound
would bring $40 or the price Of the
bull every year more than the six
heiters from a scrub bull. Then the
calves from these 325-pound cows
would be worth more than from the
old scrub strain. OF course the cows
milk from being bred to high class
bull but will bring more il sold. The
main cash gains would come after the
first heferS freShened. or in about >
years and they would increase fast af-
ter that. If we never start anywhere
we will never arrive and we must breed
for the future.
BY using q higher class bull on each
coming generation. Il herd of cows can
easily be bred UP TO produce an aver
age Of 40 pounds fat annually with
proper care and feed. The average
cew today does not produce much over
300 pounds. You can double the pro
duction in the future with very little
outlay with good bulls. When we fig
IRE that cow producing only 200 lbs,
will but little more than pay for her
feed. you can easily figure that you
can't afford TO use a poor bull, even
though he is cheap. Let's breed up in
stead Of down and put Rnsk county on
the map of the dairy world As one
writer puls it--Scrub bulls should be
wiped out not by forest fires but by
butchers knives
Too many stations that ought TO be
geldings,
Too many bulls that ougth to be beef,
Too many boars that ought to be sau-
sage
Will soon bring the livestock breed
ars 10 grief
LEO NJ. HARDER