68 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



beams Avill strike our iiekls each year, whether we study to 

 know or not, but whether they shall be refracted backward 

 or shall be absorbed to quicken our land depends upon the 

 intelligence we use in feeding that land. I am constrained to 

 believe that if we, as farmers, do our part as well as the Lord 

 does His, we might, most of us, be better oil'. 



As to maintaining fertility, there are two methods we may 

 successfully follow. First, that of green manuring and com- 

 mercial fertilizers ; second, that of adopting some line or lines 

 of live stock husbandry, feeding out as much upon the farm 

 of that which the farm produces as is possible, and returning 

 the resulting fertility to the farm. While in a limited way 

 a man may undoubtedly succeed by the first method, my judg- 

 ment and practice would lead me to believe that for the great 

 majority of farmers, both east and west, the second method is 

 the better and more practical. It is not enough, however, that 

 we feed out the stuff we raise upon the farm and convert it 

 into a finished product and fertilizer, but we must see to it 

 that this fertilizer is cared for and goes back upon the land. 

 The Secretary of Agriculture estimates that about one-half of 

 our farm-made fertilizers are wasted, and he also estimates 

 that this waste equals or exceeds a billion dollars a year. How 

 long can Ave go on wasting our natural ability to grow crops, 

 depleting our fertility and wasting our resources, and still be 

 able to feed the great number of people that there Avill be for 

 us to feed in the future ? 



In adopting some line of live stock husbandry, we should 

 keep in mind the first principle of success which I mentioned. 

 We want to feed out our product to the animal that will return 

 to us the most for it, with the largest per cent of profit. To do 

 this, my judgment and experience permit me to recommend 

 the dairy cow. In proof of this let me compare the cow as an 

 economical producer to the steer. Suppose we have here a 

 unit of feed. This unit represents enoiigh feed that if fed to 

 the steer will make liim dress one pound more. That is, the 

 steer will take this feed and convert it into a pound of dressed 

 beef. Now, if instead of feeding this unit to the steer we fed 

 it to a good dairy cow. she would convert it into a pound of 

 butter or two pounds of cheese. A pound of dressed beef by 



