LECTUEES AND ESSAYS. 497 



and one-half cent beef. They need the same pastures. The county aver- 

 age, for ten years past, hasn't exceeded $30 for three-year-old steers, at two 

 acres per steer per year. Now take three acres and pasture two and raise 

 corn on one and you can make a steer in three years that will bring $100. 

 The $30 steer costs $34. The $100 steer costs about $50. A ten per cent 

 loss on the first; a 100 per cent profit on the other. First get the right 

 breed and then feed it. For calves I would give corn and oats mixed with 

 bran and not ground ; a little at two weeks old and soon after as much as it 

 will take. I advise cutting corn fodder rather than feeding stalks. 



I can hire all the labor on a farm and make eight per cent profit by merely 

 seeing to it, without doing any work myself. My farm is worth $50 an acre, 

 and over and above labor and wear and tear of machinery and all expenses, 

 I can make eight per cent on 465 acres, of which 130 acres is timber. 



I doubt if one farmer in twenty, in this region, takes an agricultural 

 paper. 



Dr. Miles: A few years ago, at Smithfield, the big animals took all the 

 prizes. Now quality is influencing this. As to points in judging, put a 

 a line from the point of the shoulder to the stifle or knee joint, and see how 

 large a proportion of the animal is above this line, as the high priced meat 

 is above, and the waste parts below it. See how well it is filled out just 

 back of the fore leg and before the hind leg. A long thigh bone and a long 

 shoulder blade are good. 



Mr. Rosencranz : As to feeding ground corn and oats to calves, I tried it 

 on a three-weeks-old calf and it killed him, and his stomach was full of oat 

 hulls. 



Mr. Stuart: I like open sheds for cattle in winter. Stabling and tying is 

 needless unless on account of goring by vicious animals. 



Dr. Willson : We have not had trouble with our calves in open sheds, 30 

 and 50 together. We have no trouble feeding oats two parts and corn one 

 part. 



Gov. Luce buys cattle to feed, and never has sold for less than six cents 

 per pound, and feeds as we do. 



We ripen our steers in June on pastures and grain, and get, at that time, 

 the top of the market, sometimes eight cents per pound. 



Mr. Goodyear: Have you been able to improve your animals on the first 

 purchases, Velvet Jacket and Harry? 



Dr. Willson: I don't know that I can say that, as those were very fine 

 animals, but I think Gallant is, perhaps, an improvement in being very low 

 bodied. 



We began with 60 heifers and gave 20 of each to Shorthorn, Devon and 

 Hereford bulls, and kept it up for ten years, and then abandoned all but the 

 Herefords for profit. 



Mr. J. W. Foster, representing the Crapo farm in Gaines, which has 

 heretofore been devoted to breeding pure blood Herefords for breeding 

 purposes only, read a short paper detailing his experience in breeding 

 thoroughbred steers for beef only. He said that his method was to take 

 the calves away from the cows while very young and bring them up on the 

 pail, feeding new milk for the first few weeks, and then feeding milk from 

 which cream had been taken by the Wilson creamery process. At the age of 

 three months commenced feeding grain, which was kept up during the 

 season. In this way steers mature for market early and can be produced at 



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