No, 6. DEPARTMEN'T OF AGRICULTURE. 485 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON LIVESTOCK 



By A. P. YOUNG, Chairman 



One of our leading experiment station directors is reported as 

 saying recently: "It is the livestock of the English farms to which 

 they owe the wonderful maintenance of their fertility." Scarcely any 

 farmer be he grain, hay, dairy, or truck farmer has manure enough 

 for the needs of his crops because his way of doing it does not pro- 

 vide for the su])iM)rt of a large number of gro\\'ing horses, cattle, 

 sheep or hogs to the acres he covers. So far, too little attention has 

 been given to this matter in this country; too many of our farmers 

 raise crops to sell as grain and hay inslead of working them up into 

 more concentrated forms and saving the resultant fertility to make 

 the farm more productive. Every farm should have a large stock 

 of young animals coming on and a corresponding number finishing 

 off. In support of these lie should devote the land contiguous to the 

 barn to leguminous soiling crops and to crops for filling the silos of 

 which he should have at Ic^ast two, a small one to bridge over sum- 

 mer droughts and a larger one for use during tlie main feeding sea- 

 son, depending u])on these a:.<' u]'on soiling more and upon pasturage 

 leSvS to maintain and finish off his animals. 



Ensilage and leguminous crops, including alfalfa, will enable the 

 farmer to feed profitably a large number of animals. When the farm 

 of one hundred acres is a])le to feed thirty to fifty cows, a goodly 

 number of young stock, besides the number of horses necessary, to- 

 gether witli colts and hogs, either of these may be a leader, each 

 farmer choosing the animal he fancies and his particular farm is 

 best adapted to handle, supplementing the feeds produced with others 

 from the market to make each animal do its best, and saving the re- 

 sultant fertility to apply to the crops. That kind of farm manage- 

 ment will soon make the farm a noted one in the community. The 

 environment and the temperament of the farmer should both be taken 

 into account in determining the kind of animals to receive most at- 

 tention. The man who has particular liking for horses may, if his 

 farm is adapted to their handling profitably, engage in the produc- 

 tion of marketable horses. Horse fiesh sells for more than beef, pork 

 or lamb, indeed it will average about as high in the rough as dressed 

 turkey and when facilities are right for handling does not cost more 

 pound for pound than either of the first named meats. There is a 

 wide range for choice, the draft horse, trotting horse, mule and 

 all that lies between. The man wishing to go into horse production 

 should be sure that he can get on good terms with his animals. They 

 should always be pleased to see him approach. If this be so they 

 will soon learn to have confidence in him and willingly do whatever 

 may be required of them and their value be enhanced accordingly. 

 Pennsylvania should raise more of the horses she needs, the conditions 

 are all right in many section of the State to make the business profit- 

 able. 



