560 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



adequate means of transportation. With good transportation facilities or 

 near cities where there is a good demand for dairy products, dairying may 

 be advisable. In many sections of the United States and Canada where 

 cream only is sold from the dairy, hogs make an admirable addition to the 

 dairy. Hogs, on the other hand, are well adapted to most all types of 

 farming, and provide a source of quick returns from the feeds fed. The 

 number of farm animals to keep upon a farm depends entirely upon the 

 size of the farm and the feeds that can be grown. It is a good practice to 

 produce as much as possible of the feeds necessary to maintain or fatten 

 the livestock produced on the farm. This does not mean that feeds should 

 not be purchased. The purchase of nitrogenous supplements to feeds 

 grown on the farm is not as universally practiced as it should be. 



Regularity in Feeding and Watering. — The best results from farm 

 animals cannot be secured unless the feeding and watering is done with 

 system and regularity. Plenty of clean water should always be supplied. 

 The more water consumed by an animal, the more of the feeds supplied 

 will it consume, thus producing heavier gains or larger amounts of milk. 

 The cost of the feeds supplied is a factor of importance. The cost of the 

 feed bill should be kept as low as possible. This can be done only by the 

 use of farm-grown feeds. In many cases a large amount of roughage or 

 grain is grown that does not have a ready sale, possibly on account of being 

 slightly damaged by weathering or improper curing. Such feeds can best 

 be used upon the farm. Not only does it provide a desirable place to dis- 

 pose of them, but the fertility which would be lost if the feeds are sold from 

 the farm is thus saved. Such practice makes the land more fertile and 

 more productive than where such crops as hay, stover and corn are sold 

 from the farm. 



Observing Individuals. — Every owner of livestock should study the 

 individuals in the herd and see that they are in good condition of health. 

 It frequently happens that animals are not doing well, and upon investi- 

 gation it is found to be due to internal or external parasites. Usually an 

 unthrifty animal is infested with internal parasites, which, if noticed in 

 the early stages, can often be destroyed. External parasites, such as lice, 

 are a source of annoyance and should be destroyed. In the case of sheep, 

 it is an excellent practice to dip all of the flock in a coal-tar dip at least 

 once a year. This is usually done following shearing in the spring. It is 

 also well to provide new pasture for young lambs at weaning time, as at 

 that time they are more subject to stomach worms than at any other time. 

 This is due to the fact that they become more easily the prey of worms on 

 account of the change from nursing the dam to depending entirely upon 

 food supplied for their maintenance. Hogs should frequently be sprayed 

 or dipped with a coal-tar dip so as to destroy lice that are often found on 

 their bodies. Hogs are also often unthrifty as the result of stomach worms. 



Keep up Records. — It is highly desirable for a farmer or livestock 

 breeder who is breeding pure-bred animals to keep his records up to date. 



