| OCR Text |
Show Different Feeds Have Much to Do With Money Returned Seven Months lo Beat Age, Irrigation Supply and Its Use Should Crop May Bs Successfully Grown Is s of Land of Various Dsmand Most Thoughtful ConNorthwestern States. sideration of Best Minds. Considering vnut has been aald we nay next aet down aome simple rulea for the conduct of our breeding operations upon sensible, scientific and successful lines. It may be said, too, that the modern Improvement of draft horses is being brought about by the following of these rules, and I write only from my own expert-vneof over 20 years la raising hogs fur the market. Different localities and different feeds make a great deal more or less profit in the keep of tho hog. Boms feed too long and consume part of the profit, while others feed not long enough or liberally enough to make what they ought to make. I run all my hogs on alfalfa from birth until sold, either for breeders or for the packer, and as soon as they weigh 200 pounds each, or about that, sell or kill them. If you are feeding hogs (especially If tho blood Is red) they will weigh from 175 to 221 pounds each at six or eight months of age. I think seven months old Is the best age, and tho most profltabls pure-bloode- their observance baa led to the success achieved in foreign countries. The mares chosen for breeding should be draft mares In size, weight, character and temperament They should be sound, workers, over 15 hands in height and not not less' than 1,200 to 1,500 pounds It would weight In work condition. be beat were they 1,500 pounda and up in weight The sire should be a sound, prepotent, muscular, thoroughly worked or exercised, registered stallion of draft breed. The resultant progeny of the first cross. If a male, should be castrated; If a draft-hors- e pure-bre- e risk and sell, cars for the lext litter. The cheapest gain Is made while the pig is small. A pig weighs about three pounds at birth. With reasonable care It will gain on an average pound a day for the first 10 to 20 days. So you see it doubles Its weight In 12 days, and at 65 cents per bushel for corn, and 91.50 for 100 pounds for shorts the first three pounds ol gain cost about three and cents per pound, allowing eight pigs to the litter for each sow. Don't try to get the market ready for your hogs, tut get your hogs ready for the market Sell them when they are fat and not before. Keep the kind that top the market and you will make Selected Seed Corn Ears. Carefully one-fourt- h The quality and quantity of next years corn crop will depend very largely upon the selection of seed not merely the picking out of ears, but upon the time, place and mdnner In which the selection is made. if we wait until Just before planting time next spring and then run and pick out through the corn-criwhat looks to be likely seed, we are taking chances of about eight to one against a full crop. The time to scdhjt seed corn Is In money If feed Is high. the grain Is thoroughly Registered hogs gain faster, bring the fall after section should be made more money for the feeder, and make ripe, and the more pounds of meat out of the grain In the field. This method enables one fed them than any other animal on to know exactly the kind of stalk which produced the ear and to avoid earth. SWINGING GATE female. It should, when the time sire of comes, be bred to a pure-brethe same breed as the original sire, and this plan of breeding should be continued, cross after cross, until five or six of the same pure draft breed blood having been put on the progeny Is practically pure bred of the breed used In Its making. There should never be the slightest deviation from this plan of breeding. Had there been in France we would not have the modern Percherons of today; and mixed breeding, such as has characterized American operations, would have absolutely prevented the origination and perpetuation of the Clydesdale, Shire, Suffolk or Belgian breeds. Selection and some mixing in blood had to be followed in the early origination of these breeds, but It Is no longer necessary and now would be ruinous. Then, too, the sire must be sound, and throughout the entire operation of horse breeding, as we have seen, adequate feeding must be the rule. d top-cross- FOR (Hy I'lPiV. TIIOMAfl SIIAW.) arises to Kvery day the quci-tlns Alfalfa may bu grown in the Irrigator: "How am 1 to know sf tho land it: the northwestern states, how imu-water to apply to my tho land Is properly preproviding which There are by ways crop?" this can bo done and the time will pared. the right kind of seed la sown come when every Irrigator will avail and tin seed Is properly put Into the himself of means. Water Is the. ground and tho plants are suitably most valuable thing in the arid reulnn cared Tor. The preparation of the soil should more valuable than gold or silver or any other of our resources or prod- begin one year before the seed Is sown the plums are sown on land that uct. Therefore, the water supply and when Is not irrigated The object sought Is, Its use should demand the most to clean first, the land, snd second, to best thoughtful consideration of the conserve-thsoil moisture as far aa inlnds, writes Alex McDonald In the this may lie possible. These objects Denver Field and Farm. 1 have found be secured by carefully summer may by actual experience that 16 Inches of the land when it does not water, Including rainfall, supplied dur- fallowing or blow, by growing a clean cultiing the growing season will produce vated crop on It. and by growing a TS bushels of wheat snd 130 bushels corn crop where the soil does blow. of oats. If properly dirtrlbuted and ltefore plowing the land for the "onserved. summer fallow or the cultivated crop Morn water added to the noil did not less than a dozen good loads of not Increase Its production, but rath-r- r manure should be applied decreased It Less water than this farmyard to the land, which ought to be plowed produced nearly as much as the deeply. Deep plowing Is Important, amount given. Hence the water that on light sandy land. It Is esis added to tbe soil In excess of the except sential that the land shall be kept seeds of the plant Is wasting wealth ' clean and that the moisture can ba and It behooves tbe Irrigator, or the conserved In It to the greatest extent men who are using water, to study Is sumIbis question well, so that they may practicable. Whether the land mer fallowed or a cultivated crop ll make water do !te whole duty, and It should not ba again plowed thus Increase the area of tillable land. grown, before sowing the seed. In the early Many who are not used to irrigating however. It ought to bn disked Jften look upon It as a mysterious spring, but not deeply, and then harrowed. Tht work. I Invariably aay to theae men harrow may bo used further at Inter !f they poas as farmers: Do you vals before the seed Is sown. This know when soil la In good condition?" maintains a dust mulch and destroys Y they answer yea, then 1 tell them weeds that may sprout. to keep It that way. They do not The seed sown should he northern have to wait for rain; they can supgrown. Turkestan, Or! mm and what water themselves and hence there la called Northern Montana are all ply Is no excuse for not keeping It In good good. Northern Montana la another condition ao far aa moisture la con- name for northern grown. All ol sented. these are good when they ran be obNext, how are we to find out how tained true to name, and all are much water to apply In the soil? I hardy. Save used the following plan: Take The seed should be sown with the i ship auger with a shank tree three drill snd without a nurse it feet long or more, bore Into the should be hurled from onecrop, to two (round before the crops are planted, Inches. When thus sown It comes up :ake all of the soil and put it In a re- evenly. When sown broadcast It Is ceptacle. Properly cover to prevent not burled evenly, and If dry weather 'obi of moisture, and take It to a drug follows the stand will be uneven. II (tore and weigh It. Then take this the drill will not sow the seed alone, tame soil and place It In an oven, or It may be mixed with something, as inywhere a temperature of about 104 dry soil, free from grit, or wheat bran. legreea may be obtained, until thorWhere the rainfall Is not more than oughly dried. Then weigh the soil 15 Inches In a year six pounds of good (gain. From thli the water In the seed on well prepared land Is enough. (round can be computed. Then after Where the rainfall Is not more than rrlgatlng do this again, and It will 18 to 19 Inches, It may be better to 'ell you, If you do It Immediately aft- - ow 7 or 8 pounds. If the plants are Irrigating, how much water the soil too many for the moisture In the land, sontalns when saturated, and If you the roots will not go down sufficientsalt 24 hours and take a sample In ly, and the yield of hay will be corIke manner It will tell approximately respondingly reduced. low much water the soli holds In a Tbe plants may bs harrowed, If !orm that plants can use. necessary, when from 5 to 6 Inches In fact, successful dry farmers In high, and when 8 to 10 Inches high, It he northwest follow this plan every weeds are present or if the tops of rear. Of course precipitation there the plants should lose color, the mowSomes In the late fall, winter and er should be run over the ground set so high as not sarly spring, and they find that If they with the cutter-ba- r cave equal to 12 to 15 Inches of wa-e- r to clip tbe crowns of the plants. What available for plants that they can Is thus mown should be left on the sount on a crop. If not, they must land to inulch the same. Before the wnserre this moisture by summer arrival of winter the plants will be fallowing and await more precipitat- high enough from the subsequent ion. Then again, other tests may be growth to hold the snow that falls for ised. Dig Into the ground 3 or 4 sinter protection. When the plants are one year old. nrhes and take a handful of the soil nd squeeze. If It remains In a ball, they may be disked lightly with .hen It ts unnecessary to supply mois- profit to the crop. EVery year subseture. Of course, this quently the crop should ba disked that there la moisture down below and more or less severely In tbe early :hat tbe ground Is not too sandy. spring and under some conditions Some may say this Is too much trou- After each cutting. The disking loosto ens and aerates the soil and allows ble, but they should be willing :rotibl themselves when there Is the moisture to penetrate more deepThe harrow should follow tbe ly. noney In It. I have personally observed that llsk. It Is probable that seed will be men are pouring water onto their loll, which If used Intelligently would grown by sowing tbe alfalfa In rows Irrigate from two to four times as from 30 to 42 inches distant, and cultivating as for corn when thus sown, much land as they are now Irrigating. If one acre of land will produce a net t or 2fc pounds of seed per acre Income of $30 and upward, and hy a should be ample. ilttle Investigation they could, with :he same amount of water, cultivate Lesson of the Drought. four acres and get better crops. The drought or 1911 taught the it not worth a little Investigation? Thp tanner of Mlsourl some things that Intelligent farmer, whether scientific they might have learned in a long sr not, wants to make money mt of :1me of relative prosperity. There his farming operations. If he owns sere more cowpeas planted than ever rater, he wants to tnrn that wa'er before that year, and wherever they Into money that he may have the grew there was a benefit to the soli. There was more and better cultivanecessities, or even the luxuries of life In more abundance. Then why tion of the drought than there was waste the water by excessive Irrlim sefore In many places and the result Mon? While It Is true that alfalfa was that a fairly good crop was d when It appeared that there requires more water than, jierhnps, any other crop grown In the west, yet would be only a failure. If the soil Is deep and In proppr conThis year some lessons are being dition so that the roots of the plants learned about seed corn In the same will go on down, they will be able to way. The seed was poor from last reach the subterranean water In a year. Testing has been advised for greater or lesser time and materially Every tar planted, and It Is showing sld tbs farmer In reducing the amount results. Full stands come from tested of water necessary for his alfalfa. iced, and tho burdens of replanting or raising only part of a stand Is avoided. Clovers Valuabla Forags Plants. Proftable Feeding. Director Brooks of the MassachuFowls should have empty crops In setts station says of the clovers: For four Important reasons the clovers ' the morning, and the crops should are among the most valuable forage lever be quite full until It Is time to ;o to roost In the evening. Feed again plants: First, the manurlat cost of their ihould be scattered In tbe Utter In production Is exceptionally low; sec- die morning. This Induces them to In the middle of the day a ond, they are richer In protein than Exercise. ba most of the forage crops far richer warm moistened mash should than the grasses; third, they enrich given. Feed what they will eat up and the soil In nitrogen as well as sub- rhew. At night before they go to roost soil It, so that the following crops are i liberal feed of grain should be scat--' in the litter. Tbe fowls should j almost Invariably good ; fourth, in tered ke kept busy. mowings they ultimately i permanent : so enrich the soil In nitrogen that the Uca Probably There. grasses as well aa the clovers make A person hates to admit that then vigorous growth. are lice on bis chickens or In hla hicken bouse, and there may not bs Dlssase-Brssdln- g Houses. any on your premise or on your In closely built houses, where there hens, but It will do no harm to use Is poor ventilation the air becomes an Insecticide on your chickens and contaminated by gases arising from clean np your poultry house. The hena filth and the accumulation of drop- will be thankful tor' a nice, .fresh pings. As the hens are exposed to bath, for dusting Is their mode ' ol these gases during the night. It Is bathing, snd there might peradveng no wonder that tbe system becomes are be one ouse on them. polsooed by them and disease results (Iii-m- o good-lookin- g one-fourt- h Champion English Shire. TO CROPS nine-tenth- d hog we can sell. The younger you sell, the less of disease, the less trouble, time feed it takes. Tbe sooner you the more room and the better WATER Nine-Tenth- e Modern Improvement of Draft Horae Brought About by Obaervanco of Principles Given. OF ALFALFA PLANT APPLYING (By W. C. HOST AND.) BUIES FOR BETTER BREEDING CULTURE WHEN TO SELL FOR PR0FI1 SWINE Should Be Hung Downwards With Hinges So That the Hogs Can Push Their Way Through. A gate which will allow hogs to pass and at the same time will restrain cattle and calves, will be found convenient on any farm, says the Iowa Homestead. The lliustra-tloshows a small gate easily com structed which 1s hung between two Swinging Hog Gate. posts In the lower part of the fence. No. 1 shows a good stalk, well balHang the gate downward with a pair ear about four feet from anced of small binges so that It will swing CONTRIVANCE TO SAVE LABOR both ways and the hogs will soon the ground, well set and turned down enough to shed the rain. No. 2 Is a learn to go through that- way. Excellent Device for Harnessing and weak stalk. Joints too long, ear set too high and much too near the top. Unharnessing Horse Prevents The Horses Hoofs. 8traps From Tangling. If the horse's hoofs are hard and those stalks which, although they may Inclined to be shelly" do not lei have borne one good ear, Indicate by A device for harnessing and unput oil or grease on them, their general appearance that they anybody and described horses is harnessing for this only clogs the hoof 'material, wroidnot' reproduce a perfect' stand Illustrated In the Iowa Homestead by which should absorb water Instead ol next eaon. I. F. Forest and which he has In use It. Such hoofs are best repelling Seed corn selection Is one of the of a an his own farm. It consists treated by soaking them several moBt important details of growing the inch rod threaded and tightened with hours together In warm water slight crop It mu.t be undertaken In a burrs and inserted between the Joists or by turning out the horsa salted, ly ayatematic manner, because slipshod above the horse, similar to a manure and uncertain methods will only recarrier cable. There are awning pulsult in disappointment and failure. so leys fastened together in a pair Really seed corn should be raised on that one pulley runs on the specially prepared ground from pedia has rope rod, and the other greed seed, and this work- should have run through it with two hooks tied been undertaken at planting time last in so that there Is an end of rope spring. However, a good beginning In hanging below each hook. These the selection of seed can be made now. hooks are tied In according to the Is a mistake to keep a nondeIt When the corn is thoroughly ripe one hook being height of the horse, bull simply because be cost a in the field the selection should script clear up to the pulley and the other little money. made by taking a row at a time and to hock Into the hame ling or strap, follow the rows and tramp picking only those ears which come HogS pull the other end of the ropes which down less of the rape if It Is drilled up to a certain standard fixed lifts the hames clear of the horse and of broadcasted. band. hook the other hook In hame ring or For sheep the silage should be cul jn the selection of the standard the strap. The back pad and breeching very fine. Otherwise they leave the farmer must make up his mind In one same lifted are in the manner, butt sections of the stalks. advance whether he wants a large, hook to lift the back pad and the With the silo five steers can be fed coarse stalk with the ear high from ether can be used above the breech- - as That the ground, or a smaller, stout sialk cheaply as four without gives you the gain of one steer free. with the ear lower down. Aside from the feed problem, sheep If he desires a large ear with ear cause the flock master little trouble coarse grains, or a medium-sizeIn summer, unless we except the with the grains compactly set, he must make his selections accordingly. parasites. As a general proposition It may bo Right here, however, the selector Is said that the sow that has pigs be- warned against a very common misfore she Is a year old will disappoint take that Is picking ears of abnor-ma- t size or appearance. If he wants her owner. Clover silage makes excellent hog a large enr with coarse and loosely feed In winter. They eat every bit of set grains he may find an occasional It. Some waste In feeding corn ear bearing these characteristics In a very marked degree, abnormally so In silage to hogs. When you turn your team over to fact, but It would be a mistake to a hostler at the feed barn be sure to select such sn ear because the will be to Increase variation and see that they get the water, oats and when these variations run to excess, hay you pay for. Device for Harnessing, In hot weather a horse should not they are prettv sure to produce unbe fed much corn. Oats and bran are desirable qualities. lug. The harness now hangs above much better. The more work the It would he Just as great a mistake the horse and is shoved back out of more feed of course. if the selector Is looking for a medium the way against the wall. To harness Live stock husbandry will postpone sized ear with rlosely set grains to up the horse the bames are pulled soil depletion for a longer period q! select an undersized ear with the abahead and are hanging ready to be time than grain farming, but It wRI normally sized grains, for the reason lowered again in position on the not prevent depletion. above given. It Is always wise to After becoming accustomed horse. Green forage must be fed with die stick to the medium specimens, havto it a device of this kind saves lift- cretlon and sparingly at first or pre ing the desired characteristics, as beting and the harness does not get fuse sweating will result and some ter results will always follow such tangled up. selections. times colic and weakness. Get a pony for the boys. Mighty It Is a good plan to select seed from Value of Hogs, In use to of stout, healthy growth which stalks ana errands handy running k upon the farm Is more to go after tho cows with or to run have made uniform progress during rned to money than the tbe tread power lp operating tbe new tbe season sad that art wall provided farm separator. - j ; j -- j three-eight- with leaves so as to provide plenty of fodder. It Is Important to observe the tassel of the stalk to see that It is strong, symmetrical and Is well developed and free from any evidence of disease. The stalk from which the ears are taken should be well rooted in the ground, upright, strong and vigorous, and any evidence of disease or abnormal growth should at once condemn it Only ears that are well silked and that are thoroughly covered with the husk from tip to tip should be selected. Here again It is a mistake to select ears hearing abnormally developed husks or husks that are too little developed. If the ear contains an unusual amount of husk It Is a sure sign of coarseness and will show up badly In next year's crop. The shank bearing the ear should be short snd not over an inch or an Inch and a quarter In diameter, and those ears pointing downward are the most desirable. These shed the rain and thus preserve the grain while those ears which stand upright or nearly so, naturally catch moisture which trickles down into the grain and causes It to rot As to the number of rows and grains on the ear, these will vary with the variety, but In moat standard varieties they run from 16 to 20, although they may run as high as 24 and still conform to standard. If the number runs below 14 the ear should be discarded. The rows should run straight from butt to tip and those ears containing wavy rows or rows that become mixed at any point and lose their Identity are not to be taken. Do not select ears that are much larger at the butt than at the tip. The cob of the perfect ear should be perfectly straight and uniform In The grain should be rather hut symmetrical and well formed and not too long. The tip of the ear should be perfectly covered with corn, as well as the butt Not many ears containing these chat acterlstlcs will be found In a random selection the first season; but by care- wedge-shape- d ful breeding, ears may be produced which will be perfectly covered at both ends and symmetrical In appear ance from butt to tip. In selecting seed corn It Is necessary of course to aim at the perfect standard and not he content with anything else. If one goes to the trouble of making any selection, why not carry It out to Its conclusion and strive to - j before-lnstea- d I : d i tn-denc- 1 har-reste- : ! aufll-clentl- y high ears tend to b lower down, they ehould not be used for seed. On the other hand ears too low tend to extreme earllness and therefore none but ears of a uniform height should bs used for seed. Aa extremely later than those produce perfect grains Instead of or three-qua- i lers perfect? Only the perfect grain is worih striving for. The selection of seed corn in the field la not an easy job or one quickly accomplished. It ranuot be done la tha way, but must he usual done with basket on arm and In a even spirit of calm contentment though a. whole day's work brings nn more than a dozen ars to the seed bin. If the work Is hastily done tbs chances are largely i favor of a poor crop next year. WLt is a day or two spent In the selection of seed at the proper time as compared to tha Increase of next year's crop resulting from careful snd wise selection? on-hal- corn-pickin- g j ! |
