The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume], October 18, 1904, Page 3, Image 3

About The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1904-1905

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
Tuesday, October 18, 4 1SXH.
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Live Stock and Dairy
CONDUCTED BY CHARLES WM. BURKETT,
Professor of Agriculture, N. O. A. A M. College, and Agri
culturist North Carolina Experiment Station.
Inquiries of Progressive Farmer readers cheerfully an
swered. SHALL WE FEED SOME CATTLE THIS WINTER ?
Have you ever tried feeding a few cattle during
the winter season! Either cows or steers or
young calves; just a few to consume the cotton
seed or their equivalent in meal and the roughage
feed on the farm. I don't like to see all the seed
or meal, at least so much of it, go out of our
State. It simply means so much soil fertility. And
since we have no soil fertility to spare, ought we
not to preserve what we have to the best advan
tage? To my mind, the best way to dispose of this or
ganized plant food is to sell it to cows or steers.
Even our scrub cattle will pay you more for cot
ton seed than the cotton oil mills. Of course
well-bred cattle will pay handsomely for all they
buy, still we all haven't got them, so we must do
simply the best we can and make friends with the
thin' loin and thin-back cow or steer and hope for
the best, knowing that good treatment and well
balanced rations will do wonders even if the best
form is not present.
I am confident you will agree with me if you
will take a look at the cotton patches next year
where the stable manure will be scattered. Our
cotton and corn lands need stable manure hu
' mus more than anything else. Give them a fair
show and next spring tickle these lands with
good deep tillage so as to awaken the plant food
from its slumbers and the stable manure will help
do it, and then the good results wil be seen.
It won't take much trouble to feed five or ten
cattle, and that number will surely make a lot of
manure if they are well bedded with leaves, or
pine straw or such other vegetable matter as can
be secured. Then do the feeding in a small lot,
or stable, so that all the excrement and bedding
can be saved.
Most of us can purchase, fairly good .formed
cattle for two or two a half cents live weight.
In five months they can be made to lay on 150 to
200 pounds and usually can be sold then for four
cents live weight. We have been doing this for
the past three years and these figures represent
our results. Cows purchased primarily for milk,
put on 75 to 125 pounds in five months and
brought on an average four cents per pound.
This means a good profit in feeding, and then
think of all the manure that is made to go on
the land! Farming is a good business, especially
so when cattle and manure enter prominently m
its operations. C. W. BUBKETT.
A MODEL COW SHED.
A Moit Cheap, Convenient and Cleanly Stall Which
Any Fanner Can Build.
irOQM -Prlitnrs. Most of the letters and lec
ia snhiect of dairying are addresed to
- -
the professional dairyman and very often the
farmer with one or two cows gets dui nine P.
For instance; I attended the Farmers' Conven-
Raleieh (which, by the way,
HUil fcuas J"11"
was the best I ever attended, and I am sure every
there received double value for
his time and expense and carried home ideas and
plans which will be of untold value in xne iuiu,,
and heard a most excellent lecture on "butter
making" by Prof. Kendall of the A. & M. CoUege.
r i a u ntA. hut when I began to tninK,
was mniyij vicAe," - .
I found it applied to the professional dairyman
and not to the general farmer. He spoke at
length on the value of the cream-separator and
proved its value by showing its work: yet, when
asked if it could be used profitably by an owner of
one or two cows, he said no, owing to the cost of
the machine.
Now. I have no separator to offer I wish I did
have one which was a success and within the
reach of all but I have a cow-shed which has
proven a success to me, and is within the reach
of every farmer. No one knows how unpleasant it
is to go into s a sloppy, miry, filthy cow-lot or
stable, on a cold, rainy winter's day to milk, so
PLAN OF COW LOT.
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COW LOT.
' FEED ROOM.
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xi STALL. o:
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: OPEN J 5 9
: . SHED. 1 in
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A Viflv window: B. shuck window; C, feed win
dow; D, feed box; E, F, G, H, doors; I, drop
trough.
well as he who tries it; and such is the experi
ence of a large per cent of the farmers. I prom
ised to never keep another cow until these condi
tions could be overcome. I now have a nice cow
in quarters as comfortable as any dairyman, and
with but little cost.
The shed, a drawing of which I enclose, is - a
lean-to on the southside of the barn and is seven
feet wide, the roof extending the whole length of
the barn.
The first eight feet from the rear end is cut off
for a feed room with a window (A) in the back
in which to throw hay, and one in the side of -he
barn (B) in which to throw the shucks from the
corn.
The next five to seven feet (according to the
length of the cow) is for the staill, with a window
(C) opening into the feed room, and the feed box
(D) just under this window.
The stall, as it now is, is seven feet wide, which
we divide by a wall beginning at the feed room,
what leaves the stall W2 feet wide on one side
and a walk-way SV2 feet on the other next to the
barn. On this division wall is a door (E) open
ing into the stall at the exact point the milk-maid
sits while she milks. There is a door (F) at the
end of walk-way opening into the feed room; the
other is entirely open.
The front end of the stall (G) where the cow
enters is all door, which closes behind the cow in
winter, but is left open in summer. The floor is
covered several irches deep with saw-dust or
straw, and only needs changing occasionally; is
always dry and clean and forms a nice-bed for the
cow: just back of the cow's heels is a trough
extending outside the stall (I) to catch the drop
ping which can be easily cleaned out, and as
the stall is too narrow for the cow to turn around
in, and is about her length, the droppings always
fall in it and never fouls her bedding. The lot
begins at. the inside edge of the stall and extends
to the end opposite the front of barn, turns off at
right angle from it sixteen feet, then back the
length of barn, right angle again "and joins the
back end of feed room. This gives the cow suf
ficient room in which to walk and a shed in front
of stall to protect her from rain and sunshine in
the day-time, and leaves the walk-way entirely
open from feed room out.
Now notice the convenience of the .'arrange-;
ment : The milk-maid (whicn is my wiie, ana x
believe she is jealous because I am learning to
milk) on a cold, rainy day enters the walk-way,
leaving the cold and wet outside, walks back into
the feed room, opens the feed windows and pours
the meal into feed box. The cow, hearing the
noise, and already looking for her supper, walks
into the stall where everything is clean and dry.
The milk-maid steps back to the milking door
and open it; steps in and does the work in com
fort ;v steps out, closes the door, and the work is
done and her feet are as clean and her temper as
sweet as when she left the house. These com
fortable quarters help to increase the flow of milk,v
which in turn, helps to pay the cost of the im
provement.
I used the very commonest grade of lumber and
saved expense. Of course these plans are only
suggestive and can be changed to suit each in
dividual's fancy.
Wishing you continued success, and hoping
someone may be benefited by these lines, I am, v
Yours truly, K. E. PITTMAN.
Grifton, N. C.
Improvement by Selection.
W. B. Doak, a prominent farmer of East Ten
nessee, writes as follows to the Tennessee Farmer:
Every farmer keeping a big flock of mongrels
should pick out twelve or fifteen of his best lay
ing hens, mate them in a secure yard to a well
bred cockerel from a practical breeder of such a
variety as the farmer may have fully made up his
mind suits him best. Next year carefully select
as many pullets that have already gone to laying
to put with a yearling cock of same breed. By
such means in a few seasons any farmer can have
a large uniform lot of hens as good in production
r-f orrrr ann mpnt. ns nrinst. THl TP., stocks. --!I!hsfcjrrade,
oa z -
cockerels must not be used. No males kept with
the hens running at large or changing roosters
from one breed to another must be allowed. In
stead of a sensible selection and saving of the best
from each year's crop for next season's breeding
me general xurui yuuuy u.ua ucui w ocxj. wax uic
earliest and largest. The only wonder is that
farm poultry has not run dowi more rapidly in
the South. Selection is one of the most power
ful influences that has ever been or can be brought
to bear on development of desirable qualities in
live stock. It requires no capital, merely an exer
cise of thought, skill and attention. It would be
possible to bring about a very high degree of
excellence even from an ordinary barn-yard stock,
but such takes so long it is better and cheaper to
buy good blood (males, at any rate). A real
thrifty, well made and bred cockerel, to cost say
$2.50 (a good one at this is cheaper in the long
run than some at fifty cents, for he is one-half
the flock, i. e., in breeding results counts as much
as all the hens together) can easily increase the
value of your next year's pullets twenty-five cents
each, either for making eggs or meat. Suppose
one hundred are kept. Here is $25 made from an
outlay of one-tenth the amount.
No bigger piece of foolishness could happen
regularly everywhere than, this habit farmers have
of using scrub males. There is but little excuse
for it in larger, more expensive and less produc
tive stock, much less in poultry with good cocks
in reach of everybody.
The Progressive Farmer and Cotton Plant from
now till January 1, 1903, for only 15 cents half
price. Send us a club.
Every farmer in your neighborhood ought to
take advantage of our 15 cent trial offer till Jan
uary 1.