THE POLK COUHTY ITEV7S, SALUDA, II. C.
PASTURES NEEDED FOR PROFITABLE STOCK
LIVE-STOCK-FRUIT-DAIRYIuG-GAnDEIIIUQ -FIELD CROPS-SIl OS-CIGS
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New
Wrinkles
Making the
Farmers
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Progressive
Agriculture
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TOLD IN fiN INTERESTING MAKHER EXPRESSLY FOR OUR READEHS
FEED FOR THE DRAFT FOAlS
WINTER FEED FOR THE COWS
Youngster Makes One-Half His Mature
Important for Dairyman to Provide an
Abundance of Different Feeds to
Keep Up Milk Flow.
,
1 1 1
CAUSES OF MANY FAILURES IN POULTRY
Bin
Weight First Year of His LIfe-f
Ration From Wisconsin.
The feeding of draft foals is a very
Fine Type for
prepared by the ' United ;BUte Depart-
ment of Agriculture.)
The southern farmer who appre
ciates the advantages of raising him
eif ciuch of what his family needs,
certain to be confronted at the outset
by the problem of pastures. It is al
most impossible to realize a profit
upon any kind of stock without good
pastures and even if the stock is raised
primarily for home consumption rath
er than for market, the first thing to
hp done is to estaDiisn one
Hitherto the South has been sadl
deficient in this resect because all the
attention has been given almost en
tirely to cotton. The southern farm
er, however, can, if he will, have ,as
good a pasture as was ever seen in
Kentucky or Missouri; and have it
available more months in the year
than is possible in those states. . For
a permanent pasture a combination of
bur clover and lespedeza and Bermuda
grass v. ill afford good grazing for at
least ten months out ot the twelve,
for the Bermuda and Jespedeza can be
grazecTthroughout the summer and the
bur clover from January until the Ber
muda comes on again. On light, sandy
soils near the gulf coast carpet grass
may do better than Bermuda. In any
case, however, every permanent pas
ture should have a good proportion of
some legume i
either one of those al-
ready named
or melilotus, vetch.
white clover or
alsike clover.
No matter what combination is se
lected it' takes iime and work to pro-
There Is Money In Mules.
duce a really good pasture. In fact
such a cne requires as good soil, as
much work in' its preparation and as,
careful handling as any field on the
farm": After the ground has been
plowed or disked and the seed sown
ao grazing should be allowed until the
young plants become so firmly rooted
that they will not be pulled out by
the grazing animals. When seeding
is done in the fall the, field should not
&e grazed until the growth is well
started, and no permanent pasture
should ever be grazed so heavily as
to injure the stand
After the pasture has been, made,
there are two weeds which sometimes
make trouble; the bitterweedand the
garlic or wild onion. The presence of
bitterweed is an Indication that the
pasture has been grazed too closely
or has been trampled so heavily that
tie surface soli is too hard and com
pact for grasses and clovers to erow.
The weed is seldom troublesome on a
"ch soil in good condition and rarely
8a on a poor soil which is net too
closely grazed. The use of fertilizers
r decreasing the number of grazing
animals will aid in eradicatine: it.
The destruction of the wild onion is
& moro Hiffliil vtM Tf Aon Vio
killed by a deep plowing of the ground
to September or October, followed by
a yery shallow plowing In the spring
and then planting the field with some
titivated crop. However, this meth
d cannot be followed in an ordinary
Pasture w here there are many trees or
ia any pasture without destroying the
SfaSjS and so making the field Useless
as ja pasture for about eighteen
Months. When a pasture is not infest
ed it should be watchedvclosely and
My vjild onions which make their ap
Parance removed at once. .
1 he permanent pasture- should be
Bupp1emented by temporary ones, for
whlch many crops are suitable. For
Winter use the small grains .and
etches will do for horses and cattle,
artichokes, chufas, sweet potatoes and
cassava for hogs. From December to
April oats or wheat and vetch make
best grazing for dairy cows. Horses
and mules do not care so much for the
vetch but they will eat the grairi until
permanent pasture Is ready for
mem. One bushel of turf oats or wheat
and one Peck of vetch seed are suffi
cient for an acre. If the rustproof oat
18 used, the amount should be in
cased about one-half. Oats', however,
Piay such an Important part in sound
, p . ,
uinern jgriculture that it will pay
Plowing.
the farmer to study this question thor
oughly.
With a little forethought it should
be possible for the farmer in the cen
tral and southern parts of the South
to have fresh pastures for cattle and
hogs throughout the entire year. From
ine following list a selection should be
possible which will meet conditions on
almost any farm.
January and February Wheat, oats
and vetch, artichokes, rape, bur clover,
velvet beans.
March Oats and vetch, artichokes,
rape, bur clover, crimson clover.
April Oats and vetch, rape, bur
clover, alfalfa, crimson clover.
May Oats and vetch, rape, red clov
er, alfalfa, crimson clover.
June and July Sorghum, cowpeas,
red clover, alfalfa.
August Sorghum, cowpeas, oy
beans, alfalfa.
September and October Sorghum,
cowpeas, soy beans, chufas, sweet po
tatoes, corn, peanut?.
November Cowpeas, soy beans, chu
fas, sweet potatoes, corn, rape, pea
nuts.
December Cowpeas, chufas, sweet
potatoes, corn, rape, velvet beans.
i nrougn the ' use of such pasture
crops as these pork can be made more
cheaply in the South than in the corn
belt. It costs, it has been calculated,
from one-third to one-half less to raise
hogs when pastures are used than' with
concentrated feeds alone. Moreover
the hogs harvest the crops without
danger of loss from rain and without
expense, and finally both the soil and
the hogs gain. The soil is enriched by
the legumes and the health of the hogs
improved.
WHEAT BRAN IS EXPENS
VE
Southern Farmers Can Increase Profits
by Growing Every Possible Pound
of Feed for Stock.
There is no doubt that wheat bran
Is one of the best feeds that can be
used to produce a large flow of milk.
yet, it is about the most expensive
feed the dairynfan can use. One pound
of cottonseed meal has a feeding value
equal to one and one-half of wheat
bran, but of course it will not do to
replace the meal with bran.
Cowpea hay has value almost equal
to that of bran, the exact ratio being
1,800 pounds of bran to 2,000j pour Is
of hay. I
Many feeders believe that alfalfa Is
fully equal to that of bran, pound for
pound, and if the bran has to be
bought in the open market the value
of alfalfa-is certainly greater, because
the growing of alfalfa or any other
good crop always improves the land,
while) feed brought In from the outside
only adds its manurial value to the
soil.
Farmers in the South can hardly af
ford to buy bran; being so far from
the big markets the price Is generally
high from twenty-five to thirty dol
lars per ton. In any other country
where the soil is poor and commercial
feed high, effort should be made to
grow every pound of feed possible up
on the land itself.
Southern farmers are beginning to
appreciate the value of thi3 practice,
and more stock feed is being grown ia
that country than ever before.
While it Is a gratifying fact, also,
that more livestock Is being raised in
the South, there is no doubt that the
amount of stock food per head grown
on southern farms is steadily Increas
ing, h
Cottonseed meal Is a favorite feed
for the cows In the South and a good
many farmers feed too much of It. If
they would grow more cowpeas, hairy
vetch, clover and alfalfa, and buy less
prepared feeds, their profits would be
larger and their soil greatly Improved.
COTTONSEED MEAL FOR COWS
It Is Very Rich In Protein and Animal
Easily Get Too Much of It
Makes Butter White.
Dairymen In 'some localities have
made much use of cottonseed meal,
and have found It, good feed. It should
be used with care and not too much
fed at a time, for it is very rich Id
protein and cows easilyget too much
of it. It Is also thought that it has
a bad effect on color In butter, mak
ing it much whiter than where corn
Is fed. But the buying of cottonseed
by our dairymen is at an end for now
all have from fifteen to thirty ftre
of alfalfa, most of which has tveo
sown within the last two years.
Important matter. One only appre
ciates this when he realizes the fact
that a draft foal makes one-half his
mature weight the first year of his
life. The foal must be fed, not starved,
if he is to develop into a good draft
horse. The foal fed an ImDroDer and
unpalatable ration the first winter
usually has a big middle and two very
poorly, developed ends.
Considerable attention has been
given to feeding draft foals at the
University of Wisconsin the last few
years. At one .year of age they have
weighed from 1,000 to 1,200 pounds.
These" foals were all accustomed to a
Email amount of grain before five
months of age when they were weaned.
After weaning they were given the
following ration until turned on grass
at about thirteen months of age. .
Ration for 100 pounds mixed feed:
65 pounds crushed oats, 15 pounds
corn meal, 10 pounds bran, 15 pounds
finely, cut alfalfa or clover.
They were fed all of this mixture
they would eat three -times a day
and were given no hay other than that
in the mixture until they were about
one year old-. The amount of this
mixture eaten per foal per day varied
from 9 to 15 pounds (20 to 30 quarts)
Fine Type of Draft Stallion.
according to age. Much of the time
the feed was dampened and thoroughly
mixed before feeding. The advantages
of. th damp 'mixture seemed to be the
variety of wholesome feed and the1
relish with which it was slowly and
thoroughly chewed.
Where one cannot feed so varied a
mixture as that described, a ration of
20 per cent bran, cut alfalfa or cut
clover with 80 per cent crushed oats
fed as described will prove very effec
tive. Foals do not appear to be able
to make as good use of whole oats and
hay as an older horse. When fed
those feeds separately and whole they
eat less feed and have a greater ten
dency to "pot belly."
It is a practice of some successful
Wisconsin breeders to feed liberally
bran and crushed oats for grain three
times per day and hay and sorghum
stalks each once per day for roughage.
Combinations such as marsh hay and
corn should be avoided. Although corn
silage can be fed to idle horses it
should only be given is a very limited
way or not at all to foals.
One cannot economize by limited
feeding of the foal. What one saves
in feed the first year he sacrifices
from five to ten times in the final
value of the animals. Only well bred
draft foals are capable of making 1,000
pounds at one year and developing
Into a good draft horsed It generally
does not pay to practice liberal feed
ing with mongrel or scrub animals
for there is but little margin between
the final value of the animal and the
cost of feed consumed.
PICKED UP IN THE HOG LOT
Overcrowding Is Anything but Eco
nomical Plan Alfalfa Furnishes
Excellent Grazing for Pigs.
Do not keep too many pigs together
and compel them to sleep in one nest.
The most economical" gains in pig
feeding are obtained by a judicious
blendine of nitrogenous and carbo
naceous foods.
Crossing may improve the hogs for
the feed lot alone, but not for the pur
pose of perpetuating their kind.
Every hog grower should make a
great effort to have a few acres of al
falfa, because it furnishes unusually
valuable grazing for hogs, and can be
pastured off several times during the
season.
There is nothing more disgusting
than to have a lot of unruly hogs run
ning at large about the farm buildings.
With modern woven wire fence, it is
easy to confine them within their
proper limits.
There Is nothing gained by mixing
corn meal with chopped alfalfa, except
to insure larger consumption.
The longer any herd or family of
hogs is subjected to a ration of corn
or confined to small pens and barren
yards the lower will be their vitality
and prolificacy.
f -
(By R. G. WEATHERSTONE.)
During the winter months it is gen
erally found difficult to provide such
food as is necessary for the dairy cow
to keep up the regular flow of milk.
At this season of the year feed is
generally scarce the proper kind for
the daiiy cow and that which we
have on hand is often of an inferior
quality.
After coming oft the green fresh
grass they do not relish such dry feed
and being of an inferior quality. one
will soon notice a great decrease in
the flow wf milk.
For thia reason it is very important
for the farmer to try to provide an
A Fine Type of Dairy Cow.
abundance of different feeds to make
up for this dry or inferior feed.
Of course the flow of milk cannot
be kept up to what they give during
the spring and summer when pastured,
but with plentyof first-class hay, such
as alfalfa and good clover, and fine
feed of bran and corn meal kept on
nand -that it may be fed liberally two
or three times a day as slops, there
will not be so much decrease in the
milk supply after all. That is, if it is
given to them liberally and regularly
Do not think it is a waste to feed
such feed when there isn't anything
.but dry hay of some kind to feed on.
On the latter, the cow can barely
maintain her flesh, much less keep up
the milk supply.
When we have good clover hay and
alfalfa, not so much of the bran, fine
feed or meal is required, as both, when
cured properly, are very strong feeds
and cattle thrive on them.
I am not going to attempt to give
the amount that should be fed, as I
leave that for the dairyman to decide
for himself. What I wish to impress
upon the reader's mind is this: The
necessity of having on hand always a
liberal supply of bran, meal, fine feed,
etc., to go with the dry hay or corn
fodder, which is generally of an in
ferior quality, fed at this season of the
year.
Without the above feed mentioned,
it is impossible for the dairyman to
obtain good results during the season
when cattle are not pastured.
TASK OF DEHORNING CATTLE
Operation Is Most Frequently Per
formed to Prevent Animals From
Injuring Each Other.
Cattle have been dehorned since
about 1790. The operation sometimes
is performed to remove horns that are
broken or otherwise injured, but most
frequently it is to prevent horned ani
mals from injuring one another. Usu
ally it is considered justifiable on ac
count of the bepefits that are derived
from the operation.
The growth of horns on calves may
be prevented entirely by the liberal
use of a strong solution of ordinary
lye; or if the use of a solution is not
desirable it can be purchased at drug
stores in the form of sticks known as
caustic potash. This should be ap
plied immediately after birth to the
place where the horn makes its ap
pearance. Care should be exercised
when using this remedy "because the
lye will eat away all the skin with
which it comes in contact.
Various kinds of instruments are
used for the removal ef the horns of
pilder animals. If an "ordinary saw is
tfsed it should be sharp and fine, as
this lessens the danger of splintering
the bones of the head during the oper
ation. If a large number of animals
are dehorned, quicker and safer work
can be done with a "dehorning , in
strument." This can be purchased
of any veterinary supply company for
$7.50 to $10.
It is best not to dehorn during the
fly season. Sometimes the horn is
cut close to the head and cavities are
opened which become filled with mag
gots if flies are prevalent. The ani
mal suffers intensely, if this happens,
and there is a rapid loss in condition.
If cavities are accidentally exposed
a small piece of cotton, smeared with
tar, may be applied to the wound and
held In place by means of a bandage
around the head. This also Is of great
value if excessive bleeding follows the
operation. If maggots gain entrance
to the cavities of the head they should
be washed out with a weak, watery
solution of ordinary dip.
lf .7:4!
1
A Badly Mixed,
Every failure In the poultry busi
ness can be traced, according to James
G. Halpin, poultry man at the Wiscon
sin College of Agriculture, to one or
more of the fallowing reasons : u
1. Too expensive and too impractical
buildings. Flocks do not require cost
ly equipment, anJ of course the poul
try man must pay interest on his in
vestment. 2. Lack of experience and failure to
raise chicks properly. Many a man has
jumped into the poultry business with
little or no experience, and naturally
has lost money in his plunging.
3. Failure to market right To pro
duce a superior product is not enough.
It must be advantageously marketed.
4. Starting: with Door stock. It costs
little or no more to start with profit
producing stock than it does with in
ferior fowls.
5. Neglect in improving breeding
stock. By carefully selecting the hens
and mating them with well chosen
males more improvement will be . se
cured. 6. Neglect In cleaning. Filth is a
certain cause of loss to the poultry
man. ;
7. Neglect in fighting lice, and mites.
These pests are a source of heavy loss
to all who do not fight them.
8. Poor management. Like every
other business, poultry raising re
quires close attention to details;
Should Go Slow.
The more common cause of failure
is too heavy investment. Many farm
ers start with expensive buildings as
soon as they get the "hen fever." They
run into debt, become discouraged
after a few mistakes, and quit the
business. It is wiser to patch up the
old poultry house and make improve
ments gradually as your profits war
rant the expenditure. All amateur poul
try man should go slow and build up
his flock from humble beginnings.
The next most common cause of fail
ure is lack of experience. No one
should enter the poultry business off
hand without any experience in rais
ing chicks. He should serve an ap
prenticeship on some poultry farm, or
TEACHING CHICKS TO ROOST
Difficult Matter to Keep Little Fellows
Clean if They Are Permitted to
Remain on Floor.
It is often advisable to teach the
chicks to roost when eight to twelve
weeks old. When they are allowed
to remain on the floor it is difficult
to keep them clean and to keep them
from crowding. If wide roosts, three
to four inches are used there is but
little, if any, more danger of crooked
breasts than if the chicks are allowed
to remain on the floor.
The chicks can generally be taught
to roost by putting the perches near
the floor and placing with them one or
two old hens or older chicks that are
in the habit of roosting.
If this plan is inconvenient or does
not prove effective, the chicks may be
placed on the perches after dark for
a few nights until they have learned to
go there on thejir own accord. -
FOWLS DEMAND PROPER FOOD
Green Feed, Meat Scraps, Grain and
Lime Are Required Fresh Water
Is Also Necessary.
Laying hens, like the milch1 cow, de
mand proper food. A mixed ration
comprising green feed, meat scrap and
grain, will, with the addition of lime
in some form, supply all that is re
quired. Fresh water Is also a neces
sity. Chaff from alfalfa or clover af
fords green food. The former, ground
ready for use, may now be bought by
the pound. Hens eat it readily. Being
rich in protein it is better for laying
fowls than most forms of green food,
and makes necessary less meat in the
ration.
Color Affects Price.
The color of eggs has something to
io with their sale in most markets.
Some prefer the brown tints and some
the white. In preparing baskets for
sale It is well to cater to these tastes.
Put all browns in one basket, all
whites in another. Paper cartons for
transportation, holding one dozen
eggs, can be had at paper dealers'.
Brown shelled eggs are apt to be large,
since most of the larger breeds of
fowls lay colored , eggs. Color really
has nothing to do with contents.
Well-Fed Hen Pays. .
Are you going to allow the price of
grain to cause you to underfeed your
chickens? Better sell them now. It
does not take a half -starved hen long
to eat her head off. The well-fed hen
will lay enough eggs to more than
pay hr keep. ,!
I
But Busy Family.
if he can, and before he starts out for
himself, he should take a course at
some recognized poultry school. After
he has learned the ways of the flock
he may have some assurance of suc
cess. But many mistakes and failures
are sure to beset the path of the inex
perienced. Many poultry men fail to market
correctly. They either get too far
away from the market or try to force
themselves upon an overcrowded mar
ket. And they often fail to put their
goods up in attractive packages and
do not advertise efficiently. A good
understanding of the market condi
tions of a given locality is essential
in building up a trade there.
It is absolutely essential to have
good stock to start with. No poultry
man need expect to have any success
if he starts out with a flock of board
ers. The stock need not be pure bred,
but it must be good enough to more
than pay for its keep.
The flock must be improved by care
ful selection and by the introduction
of new strains when necessary. Each
brood of chicks must be better than
the last if the poultry business is to
be a success. The boarders and the
stragglers must be culled outl Con
stant improvement is the surest road
to success.
A very common cause of failure is
just plain neglect neglect In cleaning
up the house; neglect in spraying and
in fighting lice and mites. There is no
excuse for this kind of failure. The
poultry man should be continually on
guard against insects and diseases.
And above all, he must always kep
his house and his birds clean.
All of these causes of failure may be
summed up in one word. And that
word is "Mismanagement" The three
great laws of success in poultry may
be summed up as follows: Get some
experience before going into business.
Improve your stock. And keep clean
all the time. The only cure for mis
management is common sense, and the
farmer who expects to make a suc
cess out of poultry should keep a good
stock of it with him.
COMFORT FOR SETTING HEN
Should Be Guarded Against Fussy
Work of Laying Fowls Plan for
Arranging the Nest.,
In setting a hen-well one must Bee
that every surrounding is the best pos
sible. That the nest is not too deep
and rounding in the bottom, but near
ly flat, with rounded sides so that tae
eggs will He in a single layer and not
pile upon each other in a manner that
is more than likely to cause them to
get broken.
In cold weather it Is a good plan to
line the nest box first with paper, then
the nesting straw or chaff. This pre
vents the cold from getting to the egg
so easily from below.
It is essential that the setter b
guarded against the fussy work of the
laying hens. A laying hen using the
same nest will soon break up all dossI-
f bllity of a good hatch.
On the other hand, the setter must
not be confined so closely that she
cannot come off at will to feed and
dust herself.
USE ONLY GOOD INCUBATORS
Many Little Details Require Skill and
Intelligence In Operating Mar
chine Successfully.
Homemade incubators are not gen
erally desirable, since they' are sel
dom scientifically adjusted, nor made
of best material, nor properly fitted up.
The lamp, its burner, its wick, its
chimney, its location for heating, all
require skill and intelligence. So does
the body of the incubator, as regula
tor, ventilation, the moisture supplies
and the tray. j
Do not buy from any old firm or
buy any discarded machine. Get the
best by test and give it the best that
is in you.. Then keep a record of
hatches from both hens and incubator
and compare results, not forgetting
that your hen is free to lay again
while her first eggs are hatching.
Legs of Birds for Show.
If show birds have rough legs, band
age them in cloths spread with vase
line, for a week before the show!
washing them first, of course. The
vaseline leaves a stain on the feath
ers which is hard to get out in the
wash, so be careful to push the feath
ers back and bandage under them:
Onions for Poultry.
Onions make an excellent feed and,
chopped fine and fed to the poultry oc
casionally during the winter, will na-
terlally help to keep them In good
dittos. i