THE FARM

New Zealand Mail, Issue 751, 23 July 1886, Page 15

THE FARM

LIVE STOCKEARLY MATURITY. We quote the following from Professor G. T. Brown’s recently published ‘ AnimalLlfe, , one of Messrs. Bradbury and Agnew’s Handbook series , c It is not easy, and it is thß reverse of satisfactory, to have to admit that in the course of long years of steady effort w e have been wilfully groping in the dark. But the sooner we get a glimpse of the fact, the less difficult it will be to retrace our steps ; and there is no escape from the conclusion that if we mean to continue to cultivate the live stock of the farm, we shall have to proceed m a direction as nearly as possible, in some respects at least, opposite to the one which we have taken for many years. Things Which Can be Done.

It is related of Cuvier, the great naturalist, that he once entered a room in which some literary friends were engaged in compiling a dictionary, and had just defined the word ‘ crab ’ ‘ a small red fish, which walks backwards.’ Cuvier was appealed to for an opinion as to the fitness of the terms. He replied ‘ Gentlemen, the crab is not a fish, it is not red, and it does not walk backwards with these exceptions, your definition is exce lent!.’ At this moment the author, speaking modestly, feels himself in the position of the great naturalist, to whom the breeders for

J early maturity appeal somewhat as follows * J * Sir, —this" is our system, the outcome of t years of practice. We breed from young immature sirrs or dams, or both ; . often from families, known to be. tainted, with hereditary disease, but of high pedigree. We shut up the progeny in sheds summer and winter, cram them with rich food, load them with fat to an uncomforteble extent, knowing that nobody will eat it, get them to a great weight at an early age, take prizes at shows, and sometimes get great prices in the market, but altogether we lose money by the business. Have you anything to suggest ?’ To whom the author would fain sav, if he might say it without offence:—‘Gentlemen, —lt is wrong to breed from immature sires and dams, or from animals, whether old or young, with any constitutional disease or tendency thereto. The shutting up of young stock in sheds summer and winter is in every way objectionable. You should not cram animals with stimulating food to produce a lot of fat which no one will eat. Feeding stock merely to get prizes is not a legitimate object for the stock owner to aim at, but making good food for the people is—with these exceptions, your system is excellent.’

Breeding for ‘ Maturity.’ By omitting the word early before maturity we get rid of a difficulty which has barred the way for a long time. Under this ‘ new system,’ which by-ihe-bye is as ‘old as the hills,’ we may still select the best type of animals for parents. Pedigree is nob objectionable, but inherited feebleness of constitution or tendency to disease is. Therefore, soundness i 9 the first qualification for the sires and dams of a healthy race. It must, however, be admitted that the carrying into effect of this principle would lead to the exclusion of some of our

most valuable bulls and heifers, on account of the existence of the taint of scrofula (tuberculosis), a disease whfeh is extending year by year in some of the cultivated breeds of cattle, and threatens serious results unless the greatest care be taken to avoid using infected animals for stock purposes. Next in importance to soundness of constitution may be placed maturity. Until animals have reached the adult period, they are not proper subjects to breed from. The completion of permanent dentition is a fair test of maturity—say, three years of age for catt’e and sheep, and eighteen months fci swine. The objection that the breeder cannot afford to wait so long has nothing to do with the physiologist’s view of the matter, and if the breeder decides that he cannot afford to do what is right, he has only to refer to the previous chapter to see how to do what is wrong with a high hand.

Management of Breeding Animals. Havingselected matureand healthy sires and dams, it may be presumed that the breeder will take some trouble about their management during gestation. Good food, fresh air, exercise, and protection from severe climatic obanges, are the chief things to be attended to ; at no time during the period of gestation can the dam be subjected to neglect or illtreatment without danger. Errors in management at the early part of the period may not be visited on the animals until near the time of parturition, or at the time or after; and the pathologist who has to investigate outbreaks of disease in breeding herds or flocks often ha 3 to go back for some months to find out the causes. Feeding for the Butcher.

Perfectly healthy stock, born of carefully" selected; mature, and sound parents, may with' out injury to the breed, be forced to a condition of * e-trly maturity,’ falsely so called ; but the terms have a conventional meaning, which is understood. As the young animals are to be got ready for slaughter as quickly as reasonably may be, they must be fattened in the open pastures, if possible ; but, in any case, fattened sufficiently to satisfy the demands of the butcher, and economically to meet the requirements of the farmer. There is something hopeful in the fact that agricultural writers are carrying on a crusade against what they rightly call the making of tallow ; and if they only keep on long enough they ■will produce some effect, in spite of the temptation of the prize system.

One condition might, without hardship, be imposed on all breeders and feeders of stock ; animals which are fed for the butcher should on no account —by no afterthought—be used for breeding. Let the injury which is done by the excessive use of concentrated food be limited to the recipient, and we know the worst of it at once.

The attempt to reconcile the systems of breeding, as nearly under natural conditions as domestication will permit, with the forcing system of feeding can only gain a measure of success when breeding and fattening animals are managed on totally different principles. There may be some difficulties in the way, but the scheme is worth testing in practice.

Its formula might be thus stated : ‘Secure mature and sound parents, so as to produce a healthy progeny; place these, if you like, under artificial conditions of life; damage their constitutions, for a time, and up to a certain point, then kill and eat them—and be thankful.’ This is a candid exposition of a scheme which, if fairly and honestly worked out, will preserve a very largo proportion of onr herds and flocks from degeneration, by keeping them as far as possibly apart from those surroundings which have already been known to exert a steady and constant influence in favor of the ‘ Survival of the Unfittest.’

It must be obvious that in the course of the preceding remarks on breeding and feeding, only a mere sketch of a large subject has been attempted. Some serious eirors, the effect of which are likely to reach farther than is at present suspected, have been pointed out ; and certain corrections suggested for the consideration of the practical man. But it forms uo part of the writer’s object to enter upon matters of detail. Experiments in breeding and feeding are still being conducted by competent observers, and the results are published week by week in the agricultural journals. It is the fashion among farmers to sneer at the idea of learning their business out of books. Will they accept—as kindly as it is meant —the hint that an hour or two devoted to the records of the observations of men who are doing their best to solve the problems in agriculture, the answers to which are yet ungnessed at, will not finally be put down to the score of mis-sf ent time V

NOTES ON CATTLE FEEDINGProf. Geo. E. Morrow, Dean of the College of Agriculture, at Champaign, sends Prairie Farmer an account of a feeding experiment concluded nnder his supervision. On October 29th there were sold from the University farms, 10 steers from 27 to about 36 months old, from fair to good in quality, all having some Shorthorn blood. They had been cheaply wintered; were in good health but in thin flesh when turned on grass, April 27. A little grain was given them for a few days. Then they had only grass until August 20, when feeding with new crop corn was begun. Stalks were feed ; then uohusked ears ; then husked ears. They were kept in a good pasture; fed three times each day ; with f. flowing. For the first few days the feeding was light. For last 60 days they were fed, on an average, a little le3s than onethird of a bushel per day.

Gain and Profit. When sold, the average weight was 1,351 pounds. In GO days the average gain was 157 pounds per head. This is 14 pounds less than a somewhat better lot of steers made with like treatment in 1884. In same time two larger and somewhat better steers in same field made average gain of 182 pounds ; two steers some what younger. 170 pounds ; two high grade Jersey steers, just past two years old, 162 pounds each. Even at the present low prices—4.so dols. per 100 lbs., after ‘shrinking’ 3 per cent., this gives a fair profit, especially* when we take into account the value of the pork made of the undigested corn passing through the cattle ; the manure left on the farm ; the greater convenience and less cost of disposing of the corn directly from the field, and the addition of, say one balf-cenfc per pound to the value of the steers

when feeding was begun. Gain on Grass. —Four of this lot made average gain of 318 lbs. each during the four months and four days when on grass alone, except far a few days at first and last. Those four made average gain of 481 lbs., during six months from time turned on grass until sold. They were above the average of the lot, in quality and thrift. Quite the beat gain made by any steer was 570 lbs. for the six months. The profits from this lot of cattle were affected by the fact that they slightly lost iu weight during last winter. Some changes made it impossible to give exact loss, but the lot weighed less when turned on grass April 27th than on December Ist. No steer gained over 50 lbs., and one of the beet lost 100 lbs. Nine Good Calves, dropped from February 15th to June Ist, were given good shelter ar>;l Tull feeding during the winter—shelled

corn and oats, a little oil-meal and nay*. They made an average gain of 163 lbs., varying from 125 lbs. to 200 lbs., for the five months. Three ealves were purchased during the winter. The lot of twelve were pub on grass April 26th, hut four were given full grain, feeding during the summer, the other eight having only grais after a few days. The four fed on grain made average gain of 430 lbs., varving from 400ibs. to 515 lbs. The eight on pasture alone made average gain of 279 lbs., during the six months to November 2nd, varying from 225 lbs. to 335 lbs. Four of the lot of eight selected in spring as most nearly corresponding in age and breeding with the four fed grain, made average gain of 260 lb?.—less than the average for the eight. The four grain-fed yearlings average 1,118 lbs.; the eight grass-fed ones 92S lbs. The average age of each lot is a little over 18

months Various Breeds. —The 12 calves, now yearlings, refer, ed to, were purchased *r selected to the design of comparing steers of different breeds or crosses. It was found impracticable to secure just what was desired. The lot consists of two pure bred Ayrshires dropped February 15 and 20, 1884; tw • pure and one high-grade Shorthorn, dropped April 30, May 31, and June 6 ; one threequarter Hereford, dropped about March l f and two half-bloods, dropped about June 1 ; four half-blood Holsteins, dropped from March 20 to May 20. The Aryshirss had heen well fed and were in fine condition when purchased. One of them has not thriven well. The grade Herefords were in fine

condition when bought. The half Holsteins had been reared on skim milk, and were in thin flesh when bought. The Shorthorns were in good flesh. One met with an injury which affected his growth. The gain of the Herefords during winter cannot be given. Of the others, the best gains for the five months were 200 lbs., by an Ayrshire ; 190 and 185 lbs. by shorhorns, and 170 lbs. by Holstein. The lightest was 125 lbs. by an Ayrshire. . . 3 For the six summer months the gains were as follows, in each case the first-given figures being gain of steer ou full feed Ayrshires, 405, 280; Herefords, 400, 300, 225; Holsteins, 515, 335, 320, 305; Short-

horns, 400,270, 230. _ _ . . Conclusions. —Bearing in mind that it is not wise to draw final conclusions from single trials, the facts concerning these cattle suggests or illustrate among other things, that r 1 The difference in animals of like breeding, and under like treatment, is often greater than those between typical animals of different breeds 2. Under the prevalent method of wintering steers in the Western States, littlo or no gain is made in weight during winter--3 It is difficult, if not impossible, to secure under good conditions gains in winter, which, shall nearly equal those made iu summer; 4The largest gains may be expected from, animals in thin flesh, if in good health. It is difficult to secure rapid gain in weight dnring long continued feeding. 5. Under like conditions, young animals make largest gain in proportion to food eaten. 6. A fair profit can ba made, even at present low prices by grazing and then by grain feeding for two or three months, cattle which have been judiciously bought or economically reared, to be sold when from 30 to 36 months old. 6. Economy of production is quite as important as maximum product, especially in times of low prices.