HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
3
Feeding Sheep on Wasted Fodder
IT would be greatly Interesting to
know, Qov.ld It be known, how
much mutton could be produced from
fodders that now are wasted because
they are not utilized. In this dis
cussion those fodders only will be
considered that grow up In the un
fenced fields of the Northwestern
states.
Two obstacles are In the way. One
Is that the lands as a rule are not
fenced, and the other Is that the
grain shocks are oftentimes left In
the fields for weeks after the grain
is cut, and because of the presence
of the Bhocks, sheep cannot have ac
cess to the field.
This means that the weeds and
other vegetation along with the num
erous grain heads lost In harvesting
are not utilized. In other words,
the food that would maintain not
fewer than say, 10,000,000 for two
months in that state Is virtually lost.
In South Dakota the same would be
at least measurably true. In Mon
tana the loss would not be so much,
for the reason that the area devoted
to the growing of grain is much less,
but the lqss In Montana is material.
Loss in Washington.
But in no place is this loss greater
relatively than in the Big Bend coun
try In Washington. There the Rus
sian thistles, grow to perfection.
There It Is that they take complete
possession of the land where they
are not combated, to the virtual ex
clusion of all kinds ot crops. Of
course, sheep in common with other
kinds of stock, will not touch Rus
sian thistles after the prickles have
been really formed on the plants, but
at an earlier period sheep will feed
upon them and to the extent of
keeping them in check, so that their
presence will do but little harm.
Summer Forage.
This means that the tumbling
mustard, Russian thistles and Win
ter rye and Winter wheat pastures
would carry sheep through the sea
son from March 1st to the early
Autumn months.
Now if Winter rye were sown say,
In May, nnd if Squaw corn were
grown, would not these two carry
the sheep through the Autumn
months and prepare those fbr the
market that were to be sold? There
would still be one problem to solve.
How would the breeding flocks be
maintained during the two or three
months of Winter when Bnow is on
the ground? Will not the growth
of wheat hay answer this question
at the present time? In the near
future It will probably be answered
by the growth of sweet clover or
alfalfa hay.
In Big Bend.
These references bring up the
question, will it pay to grow sheep
on those lines In the Big Bend coun
try? That can only be worked out
by actual test. Suppose a section
of land were enclosed with fence.
Suppose It was stocked with sheep,
suppose It was divided In say, three
parts.. One part would provide
Spring and early Summer pasture,
a second part would provide finish
ing pasture, and a third part Win
ter food.
Would such an arrangement pay?
It should pay. Each acre of such
land should support at least an ewe
and her lamb for a year. This would
mean that 640 acres would maintain
640 ewes and 640 lambs. The wool
from the ewes should pay the wage
bill.
Profit Estimates.
This would leave the lambs for
profit. Six hundred and forty lambs
would mean at $4.50 each a return
of $2380, or a rental of $4.50 per
acre. Suppose this were cut In two,
It would represent a rental ot $2.50
per acre which would be 6 per cent
on land valued at a little more than
$40 per acre. From these returns,
however, there would have to be de
ducted the cost of fencing the land.
But not more than one-tenth of the
cost should be charged against each
year's expenditure, as a fence will
built in such ah area should last for
not-less than 10 years.
If these estimates are correct, why
would it not be a wise thing in the
Big Bend country to grow sheep?
Can wheat be made to pay better?
The sheep would call for less labor.
They would enrich the land, and they
would prevent the abominable weeds
from going to seed. They would
also stop soil drifting. Why would
not such a system of farming be bet
ter than the growing of wheat?
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Learning Dairying From Holland
Wi can learn much from the dairy
methods used in Holland. That
llttlo country Is often called
the cows' paradise and it deserves the
name. There is little grain farming
or mixed husbandry there and al
most no stock except dairy cattle.
Dairying Is the principal occupation.
The land Is worth from $500 to
$1000 an acre, jet the Hollanders
pay renla and interest on the Invest
ment by producing butter and
cheese, which they place in the
European markets In successful
competition with that produced in
America on land of scarcely compar
able value.
The secret is: Efficient cows, ex
cellent rare, co-oporation and super
ior quality of butter and cheese.
On a 60-acre farm in Holland the
livestock usually consists of about
22 cows, 9 heifers, 40 sheep, 16 pigs
and one or two horses. About 24
acres Is niendow and the rest pasture,
as dairying Is on a strictly grass
basis. Few fields are larger than
five acres, and the cows are fre
quently changed from one pasture to
another, so the grass may be re
newed. Cow Selection.
Only a few choice bulls are kept
for sires and the greatest care la ex
ercised In selecting females. The
cows are selected by a three-fold
method: First, In the sire; second, In
the young calf, judged largely by the
milking qualities of the mother; and,
lastly, the greatest of all tests Is ap
plied, performance at pall. Not till,
the cow answers this satisfactorily
Is she accorded a permanent place In
the dairy.
..Mr. Kuperas, a leading Friesland
dairyman, has nu extepyonally fine
herd of red and white Ilolsteln-Frle-slans
and keeps a careful record of
each cow by testing the milk every
two weeks. The average yield of 30
of his best cows for one year was
11,275 pounds of milk and 394
pounds of butter fut. The average
lactation period was 300 days and
no cow was milked more than one
year. In Friesland there are 3200
cow testing associations of 12 mem
bers each.
The Winter grain ration consists
Almost entirely of, oil cake, fed only
to the heavy milkers in quantities of
from two to four pounds a day. The
principal feed, however, is hay, each
cow receiving 30 pounds dally. It
takes the great capacity of these
cows to handle such a large quan
tity of roughage.
Clean Stnbles.
A cow stable In America is usu
ally an untidy, uninviting and in
many cases absolutely filthy place
where, to the disgrace of civilization,
human food is produced. In Hol
land a cow stable is as clean and
carefully cared for as any room in
the house.
In the Province of Friesland most
ot the butter and cheese is made In
factories, practically all of which are
co-operative. When the commercial
starter Is used In ripening the cream,
Immense numbers of bacteria, capable
of producing an agreeable flavor,
are introduced; the growth of the
undesirable is checked and many of
the unpleasant flavors already pro
duced are covered up, so to speak,
either wholly or in part.
The cost of these commercial pro
dncts is so small, and the method ot
using them Is so simple In comparison
with the benefits to be derived, that
their more general use Is to be recom
mended. The.inltial cost of a starter
is about 50 cents, and by careful
handling, It can be propagated for
an Indefinite period.
Pure culture starters are put up by
the manufacturers In two forms;
powder and liquid. They can be
procured through any drug store or
creamery supply house.
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