Gunnison news-champion., 1923-07-27

'-@A'NE-
.Agricultl College Extension Record
Il - estimated that 500 600 sacks
Of potatoes were fed 70 cattle and
hogs 10 Montr0se county during the
past spring. This means that 50, 0oo,-
700 pounds Of human food was con-
vcrted into pork and beef in limited
area which had about 1900 acres IN
potatoes ia 1922 and along with other
sections, suffered losses because of
what is usually called oyer-proiue-
ton, but in reality i poor distribu-
ton Of the potato crop.
While this article is 20 deal with
utilization OF unmarketable potatoes,
rather than te question Of distribution,
II may be stated at the outse, tat
AontroEe county potato growers have
learned by experience that surplus
potatoes can be fed 10 livestock with
good results. Two outstanding cx-
ample are given in support Of this
statement
The first Is the experience Of the
Catlin Orchards. whnr a cooking out
TT was installed and 1876 tons OF Do
tatOes were steamed and fed for 81
days TO q bunch Of SIS weanling
Hereford calves. Tn Catlin Orchards,
comprising 900 acres, produce a sur
plus Of alfalfa hay Wich l. being uti-
lized for feeding cattle. Usually
wcaHling calves have been cshfied
thru on alfalfa before being put on the
range for the summer This year
however. il was decided 10 try po,a-
toes in addition 10 the hay Some
spuds are grown on the Catiin place,
but the bulk Of the supply was brot
from ueighboriug growers at price
ranging from ten 10 twenty-five cents
hundred pounds. 4 cooking shed
was built over a steam boiler, the
pipes Of which were connected with a
wooden cooking vat that had capa-
city Of 1000 pounds Of potatoes The
spuds were steamed under high pre-
sure. During the feeding period OF
81 days. l45 tons were thus cooked
and fed ut a cost Of 81 cents per ton
for labor, and SO cents per ton of po-
tai0es for fuel. They can afford to
pay as much as Is cents a hundred
for potatoes and feed them economic
ally.
The calves weighed out around 500
pounds when they were put on grass
late in May. They will be marketed
next fall night of the range. Their
condition vas cXcellont-better than
II they had been carried thru on alfal-
ia alone.
I'VE found good place TO use the
spuds when they are cheap snolgiir
said a member of the Catiin finn,
but our biggest gain in feeding eat
tie at all comes from utilization of
te manure which is spread between
the tree rows in the orchards and
worked undr. The soil improvement
is wonderful and ii would be hard for
US to estimate the value of feeding
as a side line on large orchards. OF
course, this has nothing to do with
the potato problem, but when spuds
are plentiful, as they were during the
past winter, We can well afford to use
them along with alfalfa to carry the
calves thru so that they can go to
grass in fine condition. We loaded
them onto cars and shipped them TO
Sapinero. over in Gunnison county,
SO that they wouldn't get n set back
but would keep growing and develop
ing"
The hog feeding experience comes
from t. W. Mcneil Of Montrose who
picked up mixed lot of 100 head Of
hogs from Dolores county and fed
them for ZIP days on corn, alfalfa and
spud. They made a gain of 9Si. lbs at
a cost of s5.s2 per 100 pounds of gain,
which was good, considering the IN
even Suality of the pigs. They went on
feed weighing l07 pounds and aver
aged 20o pounds when weighed out,
having consumed 100000 pounds Of
cooked potatoes, 2l,5O0 pounds of
corn and 3is tons third cutting of
alfalfa. The alfalfa was bought at
$500 per ton in the stack and hauled
to the ranch, while the potatoes varied
IN price, going as low as ten cents a
hundred pounds delivered.
Here too. the experience Of the
season indicated that Gull potatoes
may be economically utilided in feed
ing livestock. tho it does not pay to
dispose of them at such a ruinous
fir1ira as ten cents n hundraI