The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-05-19
Farm Bureau Notes
ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY
CATTLE BREEDERS
BULL SALE
Farm Bureau Assisting to Make May
9th a Big Day.


9th Big Day.
Sentiment is growing in st. Fran
co.'s county for securing good pure
bred bulls to replace scrubs and
grade. This sentiment is crystaliz-
ing into something concrete. The
Farm Bureau has done much to bring
about this result. In st. Francois
county feed is too high, hired labor
costs too much, and money is too
scarce among the farmers for grade
or scrub bulls to be kept. "Kept" is
correct, as such inferior stock does
not contribute to the farm income, but
is charge upon the farm. 1t is in
deed doubtful if any herd of cattle in
the county. sired by anything but a
pure-bred, is adding to the farmers
income. Usually, where a scrub or
grade bull is seen, slipshod methods
of farming are practiced. The pres
ence of, or the use of a scrub or
grade bull is evidence that either
there is lack of information Of that
the operator has never faced the sit
uation clearly. The kind of bull a
farmer uses is an ear-mark of his
farming. The use of pure-bred bull,
good farming, and progressive citi-
zenship usually go hand in hand;
while the use of scrub bull, poor
farming and little interest in the well
fare of the community, are usually as
sociated.
A farm where a bull carrying the
marks of two or more breeds is used,
is not on the road to progress. The
reverse is true. as the movement is
backward. A discouraged farmer and
his more discouraged family will be
found on these farms. On the other
hand, where pure-bred bull of the
same breeding as the majority of the
cows found on the place is found,
there is evidence of vision and hopes
for a better future. Here one usual
ly finds farmer and his family who
have more or less optimistic view Of
life, vet realizing that it takes effort
to advance.
The above situation is understand
able when it is called to mind that
the average increase in financial re-
turns in livestock raising, traceable to
the use of pure-bred sires, is practic-
aHy 20 per cent greater than of non
pure-breds. On utility alone-entirely
apart from breeding or sales value
pure-bred livestock has an earning
power one-half greater than scrub
stock.
Perhaps the most common reason
given in st. Francois county for not
securing a pure-bred bull is the lack
Of monev to purchase a pureIbred,
due to the depressed condition, cou-
nled with short crops during the past
three years. 1t might be stated here
that as rule the bankers of st.
Francois county consider loan to buy
. pure-bred as one of the safest that
could be made on farm today, and
that few, if anv. farmers who have
shown desire to improve their con-
ditions bv sane and businesslike
method. would be refused loan suf-
ficient to buv rure-bred bull at the
extremely low nrice that one can be
hought for at the present time. The
bankers realize that pure-bred hull
~ the present prices will pay for
himself in nre wears time in off
sprinV from ter to fifteen cows. The
bankers know that this is better than
~ investment in 1oila,stock for the
farmers. The man that uses a scrub.
navs for a nure-bred and does not
have one, while the man that buys one
has him.
Another common expression made
hv some cattle owners who use CRANE
bulls is that his grade looks as well as
pureLbred. Granted that this NAV
he true in few cases, the thing to
consider is the lack Of power Of the
grade to transmit his good qualities