FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 167 



these means thrown in our way, it seems as though there is nothing wanting 

 as a stimukis for every farmer to wake up to his own interests. 



In order to live (by a wise arrangement) most of the human family have to 

 perform piiysical as well as mental labor. The farmer, particularly, is a man 

 of toil, and in too many instances it is toil without thought, unless it be 

 thoughts of dissatisfaction with his calling. 



Most if not all farmers raise stock. They must have cows for milk and but- 

 ter, swine for meat, sheep for wool and mutton, and horses for labor. Now, 

 let the different breeds or kinds of animals, which the farmer raises, be of a 

 poor breed or quality, they consume a certain amount of food, care, and time, 

 in order that they may live, and the return is usually commensurate with the 

 breed and manner in which they are kept. AYithout discussing at present the- 

 various breeds of stock, or their different merits, I wish to call attention to a 

 few thoughts, not new, but nevertheless true. It is an admitted fact that in 

 all improvements in stock, of the meat-producing kinds, a judicious use of 

 good wholesome food has been one of the chief agents in such improvement. 

 The old saying that "the breed was in the pail," has in it more truth than 

 error, for the best breeds of stock known will, in a few generations, if poorly 

 fed and cared for, show marked signs of degeneracy. Such, then, being the 

 case, it is certainly good economy that every farmer who raises stock make the 

 best use of what materials he has at his command, until he can change them 

 for better ones. 



As said before, it takes a certain amount of food and care to keep animals 

 alive. It then follows that if it costs so much food, so much time for its dis- 

 tribution, to keep the animal alive, there can be no profit ; on the contrary, 

 there must be a great loss. If the life of the animal costs so much, and we 

 would receive a profit for our outlay, it must result from additional food and 

 care, and the more and better the food, and water, if fed with good judgment, 

 the greater the profit, either in milk and butter, the beef, mutton, pork, or 

 wool, or the growth of the animal, or all together, besides instituting a reform 

 in the right direction, in the produce of said stock. We lay it down as a truth 

 that there is economy in liberal feeding. We have better stock, more beef, 

 more milk, more mutton, more wool, more pork, better manure, better crops, 

 better farms, and we are better men, for we have more self-respect, and more 

 of just pride. 



I think I state a fact, when saying that a large percentage of the cattle of 

 this State, young, growing stock included, weigh less on the first day of May, 

 than on the November preceding, This may seem a strong statement to 

 make, but look the matter over and there will be an agreement of opinion. 

 Now, brother farmer, where is the economy in such methods of doing business? 

 The feed that cost a good deal of time and expense to procure during the pre- 

 vious summer, the time spent in feeding it, in cleaning stables, if any were 

 used, together with the wear and tear of the same, as well as the interest of 

 the money invested, all thrown away for the mere purpose of saving the lives 

 of the suffering animals of which you may have been possessed at the begin- 

 ning of winter. The true way to make stock raising pay, is to so care for it, 

 and feed, that from birth, the young animal shall grow every day, until it is 

 ready for the butcher, or arrives at maturity for other i)urposes. 



Plenty of good food, good care, good water, and a determination to make 

 the best of wliat we have, will insure success in our undertaking. It needs no 

 argument to prove that a yearling steer, or lieifer, that will weigh from ten to 

 twelve hundred pounds is more profitable than a two-years old weighing no 



