lOf) STAl'E BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



but the price would uot admit, so the whole baru will be clipped next 

 week and held until May. I have always found it more profitable to 



FEED AND SELL EARLY 



than fill in and clip and feed late, but late years it has been impossible to 

 fill the barn the second time without getting hold of too many cull lambs 

 infected with disease, which there is no profit in feeding. 

 . The profit in lamb feeding this year is yet to be determined as far as 

 late feeding is concerned. The early feeders have taken their medicine, 

 and some of them a pretty good dose, too. A friend of mine who sold 

 recently stated that he just got paid for the grain, losing his coarse fodder 

 and hay, and the cost of dipping; his lambs. Of course, we are all aware 

 that McKinley is no longer the advance agent of prosperity, for they say 

 prosperity is here with McKinley as manager. But he has had business of 

 more importance to attend to; lambs are 80 cents less than a year ago 

 and 11.20 less than two years ago, and I do sincerely hope that some of 

 you with more influence than I will call his attention to the matter before 

 the first day of June. 



The outlook for the sheep business should certainly be encouraging. A 

 few yedrs ago we had 50,000,000 sheep; last year's report showed but 

 32.000,000, about 2-3 of what we had, and during that time the consump- 

 tion has increased so that it takes from 12 to 14 million annually to 

 supply the demand which is increasing at from 15 to 20 per cent. And 

 I think that you who are interested in the sheep business, whether for 

 wool or mutton, will agree with me that there is something wrong besides 

 the tariff. 



DISCUSSIOX. 

 LED BY A. B. COOK. SHIAWASSEE COUNTY. 



Although my experience has uot been lout;', it has taught me somethins' about 

 fattening lami3s and feeding sheep generally. Sheep and lambs are now very 

 cheap, according to former standards of price, but when all things are considered 

 it is a wonder that the price has held up as well as it has. About Vernon, in Shiii- 

 wa.ssee county, the lamb feeding industry is rapidly developing, though the farm- 

 ers are quite disgusted with the results last winter and this one. Many feeders 

 will drop'out because of these low prices, hence it is just the time for thinking men 

 to persist in the business. 



Mr. Lillie's conclusion that he can make a pound of butter as cheaply as a pound 

 of beef is a peculiar one. Six grade Shorthorn steers gained 100 pounds eaoh per 

 calendar month, or over three pounds per day. The scales were handy and the 

 steers were weighed with suflicieut frequency to insure accuracy. The dams wei'e 

 family cows, not particularly beef-bred. 



Cows that give two pounds of butter per day and keep up that gait for any length 

 of time are rare and are found among cows specially bred for butter production. 

 Cows that give three pounds of butter per day are not to be found. It is true 

 that these two pounds per day cows may eat less than the steers just referred to, 

 but there is the milking and butter making to be considered. 



As to silos, much injustice is done by claiming too much for them. The state- 

 ments made by Mr. Welch as to the cost of haiwesting and putting in the silo seem 

 absurd. On the Cook farm a silo was built several years ago, was filled regularly 

 for a number of years but is not filled now. A silo is a grand good thing, but I 

 cannot afford to fill my silo now. 



The statement made by 'Sir. Welch that his man could feed a herd of 50 cows in 

 eight minutes teaches a wrong practice. Any man that would rush chores in that 

 way ought to be discharged. All cows do not require the same amount of feed, 



