88 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



Not only that, but each bull must be registered, that the pedigree can 

 show the name and number of each animal there is, back to registered 

 stock, or even back to the Jersey Island, to foundation stock. You had 

 better take the matter up directly with American Jersey Cattle Club, 

 324 W. 23rd St., New York, N. Y. 



Hogs and Dairy Cows on Twenty Acres. 



I have 20 acres of land and have planned to put in about 10 acres 

 of alfalfa and about 7 acres of corn, cow peas, or other grain feeds 

 from which I can get two crops a year. I want to keep cows and 

 enough sows to raise pigs to use the balance of the feed. I will have 

 plenty of water for irrigating. Would it pay to build a silo and how 

 would that feed do for hogs? Would it be more profitable to pasture 

 the hogs or keep them up and cut the alfalfa? 



The plan you outline is becoming popular among small dairymen. 

 You can plant a wide variety of early maturing crops which will work 

 in well with corn for a silage crop. The ones most generally in use 

 are barley, oats, rye or vetch. Barley ripens earlier for hay, allowing 

 earlier corn planting. The average yield of silage corn is about 10 

 tons to the acre, and a silo 12. feet in diameter and 32 feet high, holding 

 72 tons, would be about right. Experience has shown that silage can not 

 be profitably fed to swine, as they only eat the grain part, the balance 

 being practically all wasted. The number of hogs that you keep depends 

 upon the number of cows you intend keeping. It is generally claimed 

 that one cow and three hogs can be maintained a year on an acre of 

 good alfalfa, where the hogs receive the skim milk from the dairy. 

 The average brood sow will raise about six pigs to the litter and can 

 raise two litters a year. You would secure better results by cutting the 

 alfalfa than by pasturing, unless you reserve a small pasture for the 

 hogs to run on. 



A Squeezer for Branding. 



How do you make a "squeezer" for branding cattle? 



Build the left side by setting three posts firmly in the ground and 

 boarding the inside, the first two feet solid, and six-inch space above, 

 using 2x6 lumber. Leave space at left hip of animal for putting on the 

 branding irons or any other work you want to do. The "right"side is 

 built similar except setting posts in ground. They should be securely 

 hinged at bottom of squeezer to allow opening and closing of squeezer 

 lever. The lever is attached to left side of squeezer to which is 

 attached a rope running through the middle post on pulley wheel to tie 

 to middle post on right side. This lever acts to hold animal in position 

 while being branded, and should be eight to ten feet long. The 

 squeezer should be built at end of a long chute and the longer it is, 

 the more rapid the work, so would be well to be forty to sixty feet 

 long, especially if a large band of cattle is handled. Dimensions of 

 squeezer: nine feet long, six to seven feet high, and ten inches wide 

 at the bottom. Dimensions of chute: forty to sixty feet long, six to 



