1898 
7i5 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
SHORT STORIES. 
Heifers for Beef. —Unless they are 
barren or spayed, they are not so good 
for the feeder, for they do not feed so 
well; but when they are barren or 
spayed, they are just as good and rather 
better. Where heifers are fed, they 
seldom are held long enough on feed to 
get fat. They, at times, become very 
restless, and often get in calf, which 
spoils them for beef if allowed to remain 
any length of time before being slaugh¬ 
tered. J. G. MYERS. 
Kalona, Iowa. 
Heifers, if spayed, are fully equal to 
steers as feeders or for beef ; but if not, 
the chances are that they may have been 
bred, which is very often the case. For 
instance, a feeder goes to Chicago, buys 
a car-load of heifers and puts them in 
the feed yard or in stalls, feeds six 
months or more as is necessary and then 
finds that his heifers are going to drop 
calves. He is disappointed. If one was 
certain they were not bred, and if kept 
by themselves, they would, I think, 
fatten equal to steers and sell as well. 
Ono, Wis. A. C. SANFORD. 
The New Bull. —A farmer in the dairy 
district of New York State told us that 
he had about decided to put an Ayrshire 
bull at the head of his herd. This herd 
is now composed of natives with more 
or less Jersey blood. The new calf law 
has started farmers in search of a larger 
cow. If the calf must be kept until it 
is four weeks old, they purpose to have 
as large a veal to sell as possible. Why 
not use Holstein or Short-horn blood ? 
one may ask. There is a general belief 
that the Ayrshire is a hustler, giving a 
good quantity of milk of fair quality, 
and turning an excellent carcass of beef 
when sold. The Holsteins are not much 
in favor in the hilly dairy districts, and 
probably, this selection of an Ayrshire 
bull is a wise one, all things considered. 
Sore Mouth in Cattle.—D r. A. W. 
Bitting, the veterinarian of the Indiana 
Experiment Station, reports a disease 
among cattle commonly known as sore 
mouth. The animal stops feeding, stamps, 
and frequently champs the jaws. The 
inside of the lips, gums, and sides of the 
tongue become reddish. The gum swells 
sometimes to such an extent as to keep 
the mouth open. There is a very dis¬ 
agreeable odor about the mouth. The 
disease runs its course in from 6 to 10 
days, during which time the animal will 
be unable to eat anything hard. The 
following treatment is recommended : 
Tannic acid, one-half ounce; borax, powdered, 
one ounce; glycerin, eight ounces, and water 
sufficient to make a quart. A saturated solution 
of boracic acid is good. Cresoline—one-half 
ounce to the quart of water—is also good. Make 
gruels and sloppy feed for diet. 
Mule Talk.—W. L. DeClow, of Cedar 
Rapids, Iowa, gives the following rea¬ 
sons why a jack would prove good prop¬ 
erty for breeding to mares in many 
localities: 
1. The mule is in demand everywhere. 
2. The price of the mule has been from 
18 to 34 per cent higher than the horse 
from 1880 to 1898. 
3. The mule does not become blemished 
and unmarketable as four out of five 
horses do. 
4. The mule can be shipped on the 
market and sold like a hog or steer, 
price fixed by his inches high, any time 
after he is four months old, while the 
horse must have full mouth (five years 
old) before he can be marketed at all. 
5. The mule can be raised for one-third 
less than the horse. 
He also says: “The war is now ended ; 
American enterprise will rush to Cuba 
and the other new possessions, and will 
quickly develop the wonderful resources 
of those countries. But the mule is one 
of the most necessary articles in the de¬ 
velopment of these countries, and the 
exportation of 50,000 to 75,000 per year 
to these countries would be a very low 
estimate, and the number exported each 
year will more than likely double this 
amount. I believe it is safe to predict 
that good 16-hand mules will sell for $250 
each within three years from this date.” 
COMBINATION STOCK SALES. 
A FEATURE IN ILLINOI8. 
Baris, Ill., has become noted for its 
combination stock sales, and I called on 
the proprietor, Mr. Geo. n. Augustus, to 
learn something of the origin and scope 
of the enterprise. 
“ How did the enterprise originate ? ” 
“In the Spring of 1895, I had some 
property to sell, and finding that a few 
others had something, I invited them to 
put it all together, and so we made up 
the first combination sale. This was 
conducted at a wagon yard, and the re¬ 
sults were so satisfactory that I soon had 
many applications to hold another. All 
kinds of stuff came in, and I soon saw 
that I needed some kind of building in 
which property could be received and 
cared for. After feeling my way, I de¬ 
cided to erect a barn on a vacant tract 
in the suburbs, and here on September 
19, sales began and were held once m two 
or three weeks. Now I hold regular semi¬ 
monthly sales, with occasional specials 
between. I am sole owner and pro¬ 
prietor, conduct the business on about 
five acres of land, have 30,000 square feet 
under cover, and am continually increas¬ 
ing my facilities.” 
“ How much business was done at these 
early sales ? ” 
“The first year I did a business of 
$15,000 to $16,000. Now there are single 
sales which reach these figures.” 
“ Has there been any noticeable change 
other than in volume ? ” 
“ Very much. At first there was a 
little of everything, and while there is 
still a good assortment of personal prop¬ 
erty, cattle have overshadowed other 
things. Then, again, the grade of cattle 
has vastly improved.” 
“ Why are cattle in the lead ? ” 
“Simply because people want them. 
My business is to sell. The feeding of 
stock cattle has taken a great boom, and 
there is a large trade in them.” 
“ Do shippers buy of you ? ” 
“ Oh, no ! Fat cattle are not sold here 
at all. These are stockers, steers for 
feeding, and cows.” 
“ Where do they come from ? ” 
“ Mainly from Illinois, Indiana, Ken¬ 
tucky, Tennessee and adjacent States. 
Canada furnishes several, and some have 
come from Oregon.” 
“ Where do they go to ? ” 
“ Principally to feeders in northern 
Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Penn¬ 
sylvania.” 
“ How are the sales conducted ? ” 
“ Stock is consigned to me to be sold 
on commission. Cattle are graded ac¬ 
cording to quality, age, size and condi¬ 
tion, and separated into car-load lots. 
Bids are made per head, but the buyer 
gets a car-load at the price. ‘ Tail- 
enders ’ are sold by themselves. Every¬ 
thing is under cover. Selling begins at 
11 A. m., and we are generally through 
about 2.30 p. m., selling in that time 
about 300 to 500 cattle, and quite an as¬ 
sortment of other property. The trans¬ 
actions are cash.” 
“ What is the outlook ? ” 
“ Good. During the last half of 1897, 
I sold 9,545 cattle. Stockers and feeders 
brought an average of $30 per head. The 
buyers set the price and protect them¬ 
selves.” 
“ What difficulties have you had to 
overcome ? ” 
“ Some at first to get people to deliver 
stock after having made their entries. 
Then to get them correctly to represent 
their stock, and sell them without re¬ 
serve.” 
“ Upon what does success depend ? ” 
“ Sales must be conducted upon honor¬ 
able business principles. Decisions must 
be rightly made and be positive, and no 
interference allowed. Mistakes must 
be corrected freely. Treat men right, 
and they will come back. Protect the 
buyers asjwell as theCsellers. Work to 
establish confidence between all parties.” 
“ What about advertising ? ” 
“ I spend lots of money that way. It 
pays well if it is done rights but it’s 
easy to throw away money on a poor ad¬ 
vertising medium.” J. M. HOLLINGSWORTH. 
CUTTERS vs. SHREDDERS FOR 
ENSILAGE. 
We have had several questions of late 
regarding the value of shredders as com¬ 
pared with ordinary ensilage cutters for 
preparing corn stalks for the silo. The 
ordinary ensilage cutter simply slices or 
cuts the stalks into small pieces, without 
otherwise breaking up the stalk. The 
shredder goes further than this, and not 
only chops up the stalks, but shreds 
them and tears them to pieces. This 
difference is very plainly noticeable in 
the work of the machine on dry fodder. 
The cutter leaves little pieces of dry 
stalk with sharp, hard edges. The 
shredder breaks these little pieces, leav¬ 
ing them soft and fine. It is generally 
admitted that the shredder does better 
work on dry fodder, though requiring 
somewhat more power to operate it. As 
regards its work with ensilage, the 
authorities differ. Such men as Prof. 
Roberts question the value of the shred¬ 
der in preparing ensilage. They think 
it is better not to break or tear up the 
stalks any more than is necessary to 
make'it pack solid. 
F. H. Stadtmueller, Secretary of the 
Connecticut Dairymen’s Association, 
writes us his experience with the Tor¬ 
nado feed cutter. The knife of this ma¬ 
chine is constructed so as to shred the 
corn while cutting it. Mr. S. thinks 
that there can be no question but the 
shreddirg of corn stalks, when filling 
the silo, adds to the value of the ensil¬ 
age, because fodder so prepared is more 
readily eaten by the animal. 
F. E. Dawley, the Director of the New 
York State Institutes, uses a St. Albans 
shredder with good success. Formerly, 
he says he used the ordinary cutter. 
During 10 years, he does not think he 
lost three wagon-loads of ensilage from 
decay. He has cut one-half inch, inch, 
and 134 inch lengths. The finer the en¬ 
silage was cut, the closer it packed, and 
other things being equal, the less acidity 
was developed. Since using the shred¬ 
der, he says that he gets from one-fourth 
to one-third more corn into the silo 
than when the stalks were cut 134-inch 
lengths. The leaves, stalks and ears are 
more thoroughly mixed than ever be¬ 
fore, the whole thing is ground fine, and 
seldom does a piece of corn or stalk of any 
size come over the elevator. The ensilage 
came out in excellent shape. It is packed 
so firmly in the silo that he was able to 
cut a piece the size of a foot cube and 
carry it five miles to a meeting, without 
its breaking apart. He says that he did 
not empty the silo last year, but covered 
what was left in the Spring. This was 
not needed for feed during the Summer, 
and when a few days ago, he took the 
covering off, the ensilage seemed as 
bright and sweet as it was in the Spring. 
This experience, Mr. Dawley thinks, 
goes to show that shredded green corn 
will make excellent ensilage. 
Before Winter 
Don’t go through an¬ 
other Winter without a 
separator. Butter is 
highest in price in Win¬ 
ter because it is scarcer 
and harder to make 
then. The SAFETY 
HAND SEPARATOR 
will increase the yield 
of butter 25 per cent 
from whatever milk 
you have, and it will improve 
the quality of the butter be¬ 
yond estimate. Buy one 
before Winter sets in and 
make the best butter and 
the most butter when it 
is the best price. 
Branches: 
Elgin, Ill. 
Dubuque, la. 
Omaha, Neb. 
P. M. SHARPLES, 
West Chester, Pa. 
“ALPHA DE LAVAL” 
CREAM SEPARATORS. 
I)e Laval Alpha 
“ Baby Cream Sepa¬ 
rators” were first and 
have ever been kept best 
and cheapest. Thoy are 
guaranteed superior to 
all imitations and In¬ 
fringements. Indorsed by 
all authorities.More than 
125,000 in use. Sales ten 
to one of all others com¬ 
bined. All styles and 
sizes—$50 to $225. Save $5 
to $10 per cow per year 
over any setting system, 
and $3 to $5 per cow per 
year over any Imi¬ 
tating separator. 
New and Improved 
Machines for 1898. 
Send for new Cata 
logne containing a 
fund of up-to-date 
dairy information. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO., 
Randolph & Canal Sts., 
CHICAGO. 
74 Cortlandt Street 
NEW YORK. 
Top Price Butter. 
The kind that a fancy private 
trade demands, is colored with 
Thatcher's Ora/nge Butter Color — 
the color that does not contain 
any poison. Send for a sample. 
THATCHER MFG. CO., Potsdam, N.Y. 
TRUE DAIRY SUPPLY CO., 
CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS OV 
Butter and Cheese Factories, 
AND MANUFACTURERS OF 
Machinery, Apparatus ami Supplies for 
Cheese and Butter Factories, 
Creameries and Dairies. 
303,305,307 and 309 Lock St., Syracuse, N. Y. 
References: First Nat. Bank of Syracuse; State Bank 
of Syracuse; R. G. Dun & Co.’s Mercantile Agency; 
The Bradstreet Co.’s Mercantile Agency, or any Bank 
or Business House In Syracuse and adjacent towns. 
Newton’s CAW TTP 
Improved ’’ 1 AXi 
Holds them firmly, draws 
them forward when lying 
down, pushes back when 
standing, gives freedom 
of head, beeps them clean 
K. C. NEWTON CO. 
Batavia, Ill. Catalogue Free 
FOR DIPPING SHEEP 
For ticks, 
lice, scab, 
foot rot 
'audall forma 
of SKIN 
DISEASES this 
HALL d, OTk c 
will be found the best and 
the moat convenient. Made of best 
_ galvanized steel it la strong and durable. 
Will not leak, rust or rot. You just buy once; they lust. 
Special inducements to prompt buyers. Circulars and prices il-ce. 
HALL STEEL TANK CO., 63 N. Ashland Av. Chicago, Ills’ 
COOK Your FEED and Save 
Half tiie Cost—witli the 
PROFIT FARM BOILER 
With Dumping Caldron. Emp¬ 
ties its kettle In one minute. The 
simplest and best arrangement for 
cooking food for stock. Also make 
Dairy and Laundry Stoves, 
Water and Steam Jacket Ket¬ 
tles, Hog Scalders, Caldrons, 
etc. VTT Send for circulars, 
r R. SPERRY & Co., Batavia, Ill. 
The Model Mill 
A hand mill for grinding grain, 
dry bones, shells. &e.. for feeding 
chickens, Ac. Three sizes, weight 
'20,34 and f>2 lbs. The most rapid 
grinding, most durable and 
cheapest mill made. If youi 
dealer doesn't keep it, address 
THE C. S. BELL CO., 
Hillsboro, Ohio, U. S. A. 
Elliot’s 
Parchment 
Butter 
Paper 
To Dairymen or HALF 
others we will A 
send half a ream A 
8 x11, free, if they REAM 
will forward 30c. 
to pay postage. 
Try the Best But¬ 
ter Wrapper and 
avoid Imitations. 
A. G. ELLIOT & CO., 
Manufacturers, 
Philadelphia, Pa 
Free 
The ImproYed U. S. Cream Separators 
In thoroughness of separation take the lead. 
In completeness of design and ease of operation excel 
all others. 
Are more substantially made and are superior in all 
points to all others. 
All Styles and Sizes. $75.00 to $625.00. 
Agents in all dairy sections. 
Send for latest illustrated catalogues. 
VERMONT FARM MACHINE CO., - Bellows Falls, Vt. 
