USA > Illinois > Marshall County > Prairie farmer's directory of Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Ill, 1917 > Part 2
USA > Illinois > Putnam County > Prairie farmer's directory of Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Ill, 1917 > Part 2
USA > Illinois > Stark County > Prairie farmer's directory of Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties, Ill, 1917 > Part 2
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At the present time sanitary and hy- gienic measures are the only means of control which have demonstrated their effectiveness. The drugs and proprie- tary preparations which have been ad- vocated for the cure or prevention of the disease are regarded by the spe- cialists of the department as ineffect- ive, and their use cannot be recom- mended. On the other hand, it is certain that proper disinfection of premises, and in particular of breed- ing animals, will do much to minimize losses.
Recently preparations known as "bacterins," consisting of a suspension of the killed organisms of abortion, and serum obtained from infected animals, have come into use and can be obtained from several firms who manufacture biologic products. These products are still in the experimental stage, and much time must elapse be- fore their true value can be deter- mined. Notwithstanding this fact, this line of treatment offers the most scientific and reasonable method of combating the disease, and our only hope of eventually controlling abor- tion lies in the future development of an effective vaccine or serum.
The organism which causes the dis- ease may be conveyed from cow to cow by means of the bull or may enter the ; system with contaminated food. ' All aborting animals and all
showing a discharge should, there- fore, be isolated from the healthy members of the herd in order to elimi- nate, so far as possible, infective ma- terial. Infected stables should be thoroughly cleansed with a standard disinfectant, applied with a force or spray pump, the disinfection of the contaminated stall being repeated after each abortion. Manure and con- taminated litter should be promptly removed and plowed under to pre- vent access to it by other cattle. Detailed instructions for the disinfec- tion of both the cow and the bull are contained in Circular 216 of the Bu- reau of Animal Industry.
Many herd owners fail to observe these precautions because they do not realize that the infection is present in their herds. The disease is insidious; it usually requires a long time to de- velop, does not reveal itself by warn- ing symptoms, and does not, indeed, appear to affect in any way the general health of the animal. In consequence, it is quite likely that the infection will have spread throughout the herd be- fore the owner is aware of any danger. There are, it is true, certain tests which can be employed to ascertain the presence of the infection, but from a practical standpoint these possess some drawbacks. All infected animals do not abort. Furthermore, after two or three abortions, cows appear to ac- quire a natural immunity, and are thereafter quite capable of normal re- production, although they continue to react to the tests. A positive reac- tion, therefore, does not necessarily mean that a healthy calf will not be born.
On the other hand, the fact that several animals have aborted within a short period is in itself suggestive evi- dence of the presence of the disease. Furthermore, it sometimes happens that in cows which have acquired im- munity, although apparently healthy themselves, the infection persists and they are able to transmit the disease to others. For this reason, when the infection has once established itself in a herd, the whole herd should be con- sidered infected, and all abortions, re- tained afterbirths and all tendency to sterility should be regarded as mani- festations of the disease.
This does not mean, however, that ยท all infected animals are to be disposed
13
PRAIRIE FARMER'S RELIABLE DIRECTORY
of. As a matter of fact, in herds in which the disease has gained a foot- hold, a cow that has aborted once or twice is in some ways more valuable than one that has not. It is safe to say that in practically no case do more than three abortions take place, and in the majority of instances there are not more than two. Cows which are not made sterile will in all probability resume normal reproduction. On the other hand, if they are removed to make way for fresh animals, there is a strong possibility that the newcomers already are, or soon will be, infected, and are actually further from immun- ity than the old ones. The elimination of infected animals is therefore not to be recommended as a means of con- trolling the disease, unless their value is not great enough to warrant the expense of treatment.
A train of complications often ac- companies abortion, and of these retained afterbirths is perhaps the commonest. This, if neglected or im- properly treated, may result in ab- sorption of poisonous products, sep- ticemia, And death. Also sterility may follow, ruining the cow for everything except slaughter. Calf scours, too, seems more destructive in herds af- fected with abortion.
These complications, together with the great loss in calves and the less- ened milk production, make the wide and ever extending distribution of the disease a matter of tremendous im- portance, both to the dairy and beef industries.
CORN STALK DISEASE.
By Dr. D. McIntosh, University of Illinois, in Prairie Farmer.
This disease is caused by horses and cattle eating diseased corn stalks and especially diseased corn. In the chem- ical analysis of the diseased stalks and corn, nothing has been found so far which would cause poisoning if eaten by horses or cattle.
Some ears of corn are affected with smut, some with fungus, and some with "worm dust," as it is called. From experiments that have been made none of these substances eaten separately will cause poisoning. When the diseased stalks and corn are eaten in sufficient quantities they undergo a
process of fermentation in the stom- ach, eliminating a poisonous gas, and if enough of this gas should be formed and become absorbed into the system it acts on the nerves, causing paralysis of the hind legs, and affects the nerves of respiration, causing death.
This peculiar disease is found in some parts of the country and not in others and all the corn fields in the same locality are not affected. The reason of this is not known.
The symptoms of this disease are weakness, staggering, and partial or complete loss of the use of the hind legs, and as the disease advances the animal becomes unable to stand, it falls and struggles or has convulsions, and soon dies.
The only preventive is not to feed the diseased corn to horses or cattle and to keep them out of the corn stalk fields until late in the winter. Dis- eased food of any kind is unsafe and should never be fed to horses.
In the early stage of the disease the best treatment is to give 2 ounces aro- matic spirits of ammonia and 2 ounces sweet spirits of nitre at a dose in a pint of cold water and repeat every half hour until five doses have been given. This stimulant seems to coun- teract the action of the poison and should be tried.
NEW REMEDY FOR WORMS IN HOGS.
From Prairie Farmer.
Santonin, which was formerly widely used as a remedy for worms in hogs, is practically unobtainable at the present time owing to foreign trade conditions. The following treat- ment has been found to be very effect- ive in experiments by the department of agriculture: Withhold all feed and water for 24 hours, then give each pig a tablespoonful of castor oil to which has been added oil of American worm- weed as follows:
Small pigs, 2 to 3 months old, 35 drops.
Pigs weighing 50 to 100 pounds, 50- 100 drops.
Larger pigs, teaspoonful.
Each pig should be dosed separately if the best results are to be obtained. In case separate dosing is impractic- able, on account of lack of assistance
14
MARSHALL, PUTNAM, STARK COUNTIES
or other circumstances, the pigs may be sorted out into lots of half a dozen each, according to size. Thoroughly mix the castor oil and wormweed oil in proper quantities with a small quan- tity of milk or mash, and give it to the pigs, watching them carefully to see that none gets more than his share. Attempting to dose too many pigs at the same time in this manner will result unsatisfactorily, as some will get more and others less than they should. This treatment should be repeated in a week or 10 days to secure 100 per cent efficiency.
HOW BIG A SILO BUILD?
SHALL I
Allow 40 pounds of silage per day for each mature cow and half this amount for each head of young stock.
Figure on feeding the silage for about 200 days each year.
From the accompanying table find the dimensions of the structure that will hold the total quantity needed. The figures are based on silos that have been filled with well matured corn, which has been allowed to set- tle 48 hours, and then refilled.
The deeper the silo in relation to its diameter and the tighter and better it is built, the smaller the allowance that must be made for spoiled ma- terial. In any case it is wise to build a bigger silo than you absolutely need to allow for shrinkage, an unexpect- edly long season and a possible in- crease in the size of your herd.
The cost of filling will vary with the degree of system employed, the distance of hauling involved, the quantity of labor, etc. From records kept on nineteen Illinois farms, it was found to vary from 40 to 67 cents per ton, with an average of 56 cents.
INSIDE DIAMETER IN FEET.
Depth, Feet
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
Tons
Tons
Tons
Tons
Tons
Tons
Tons
20
26.2
37.7
51.2
67.0
84.7
104.6
126.6
21
28.0
40.3
54.8
71.6
90.6
111.8
135.3
22
29.9
43.0
58.6
76.5
96.8
119.6
144.7
23
31.9
45.9
62.5
81.6
103.3
127.5
154.3
24
33.8
48.7
66.3
86.6
109.6
135.3
163.7
25
35.8
51.6
70.2
89.6
116.1
143.3
173.4
26
37.9
54.7
74.4
97.2
123.0
151.9
183.8
27
40.1
57.7
78.6
102.6
129.8
160.3
194.0
28
42.2
60.8
82.7
108.1
136.8
168.9
204.3
29
44.4
63.9
87.0
113.7
143.9
177.6
214.8
30
46.6
67.2
91.4
119.4
151.1
186.6
225.8
31
48.8
70.3
95.7
124.9
158.2
195.2
236.3
32
51.1
73.6
100.2
130.9
165.7
204.6
247.5
33
53.4
77.0
104.8
137.8
173.2
214.1
258.7
34
55.8
80.3
109.3
142.8
180.8
223.6
270.0
35
58.2
83.7
114.0
148.9
188.3
232.2
281.5
36
60.6
86.9
118.3
.
154.7
196.3
242.0
292.1
37
63.1
90.4
123.1
160.8
204.3
251.9
303.9
38
65.5
94.0
127.9
167.0
212.4
261.9
315.9
:39
67.9
97.3
132.8
173.5
220.6
272.0
328.1
-40
70.3
101.1
137.8
180.0
228.9
280.2
340.4
15
PRAIRIE FARMER'S RELIABLE DIRECTORY
HOW TO BUILD A PIT SILO
By Albert Miller, in Prairie Farmer
The first thing to do in building a silo of this type is to get an 8-inch posthole auger, with additional gas pipe to extend it to the required length; then auger down at the place where the silo is intended to be made, and find out beforehand the nature of the soil, also how far down it is to the first water vein.
Then, after having the necessary materials on hand, such as brick, ce- ment and sand, make a radius hole and mark off the circumference of whatever the diameter of the silo shall be. Then start digging, being very careful to get the first three or four feet exactly plumb and true to the re- quired circle. If the soil is of such a nature that it will stand well without any danger of caving, then it is best to dig it all out as deep as necessary or not any deeper than within a foot
or so from the water vein. After excavating the whole silo a scaffold can be arranged very easily by simply standing four 2 by 6-inch scantling inside, long enough so they reach within four or five feet from the top, where some footboards can be nailed across at several places and plank laid down to work from. The brick should continue well down below frost line, but not any higher than .about five feet above ground. A flat cover with building paper over it is all that is needed for a roof, and it should be made so it can easily be removed at the time of filling the silo.
For hoisting the dirt out in digging the silo the best way is to use a so- called hay derrick, with a swinging arm, such as is used for stacking hay. This arm will swing to almost any part of the silo, and after the team
1
Albert Miller Constructing His Pit Silo.
16
.
MARSHALL, PUTNAM, STARK COUNTIES
Oscar Fraker and his Five Months' Colt
hoists the dirt the man that dumps the dirt can easily swing it away from the silo. A 50-gallon kerosene barrel makes an elegant pail for hoisting the dirt. The handle must be made from about 7/8 -inch rod iron, and it must be hooked a little below center on the barrel, which makes it very easy to dump the full barrel of dirt; no mat- ter how heavy the load, if it balances it turns over as easy as a barrel churn. Only one barrel is needed. Thirty barrels an hour can easily be sent out of the silo, even in the hard- est clay, with two men digging 10 fect per day on a 12-foot diameter silo.
This type of silo can also be made where there is nothing but pure quartz sand, where the digging part is a snap; but in such a case the brick wall must be continued clear down to the bottom. As the sand caves in easily, it requires a little more care, but there is no need of any curbing by going at it in the right way.
The cost of building a silo of this kind. especially where. it can be cen- tered right to the dirt wall, is remark- ably low as compared with all types above ground. A silo 12 feet in diam-
cter and 20 feet deep costs for the material and mason work about $35. It should take no more than two days digging it out; that is, to have two men in the silo digging; one to dump the dirt and one to handle the team. One mason should do the cement work and bricklaying in two more days; thus it takes only $35 cash money for material and mason work, and a total of four days' work to complete a silo that will take care of five acres of good corn; thus we sce that it would cost more to fix a stor- ing place above ground, even if we would build it out of the very poorest and cheapest lumber, or any other material on the market.
This, however, is not the largest gain, even though it is well worth taking into consideration. The great- est gain and satisfaction comes in when the perfectly pure, unfrozen silage comes up with a flavor similar to a can of delicious fruit from a cel- lar. Why have a cellar? Why not have vegetables and fruit upstairs or above ground? Old Mother Earth is a great preserver. Jack Frost is the greatest destroyer.
2
17
PRAIRIE FARMER'S RELIABLE DIRECTORY
FINDING WEIGHT OF SILAGE
From Prairie Farmer.
In computing the amount of silage in a silo it is first necessary to find the number of cubic feet of silage. This is done by multiplying the dia- meter of the silo by itself by .7854, and by the depth of the silage. Thus since the silo is 16 by 40 we have: 16 by 16 by .7854 by 40 equals 8042 .- 496 cubic feet.
Next we multiply the number of cubic feet by the mean weight of a cubic foot of the silage. From a table giving the mean weight of sil- age per cubic foot, which was pub- lished in PRAIRIE FARMER Oct. 23, 1915, we find that the mean weight of a cubic foot of silage in a full 40 foot silo is 45.5 pounds. This would give a total of 365,933,568 pounds, or ap- proximately 183 tons of silage.
In case your silo is not full we are reprinting the table, from which you can figure the weight of silage for various depths:
Mean Weight of Silage
Depth of Silage Per Cubic Foot
1
18.7
10
26.1
15
29.8
20
33.3
25
36.5
30
39.0
3.
43.0
40
45.5
45
47.0
48.5
50 The Illinois Experiment Station found that it cost $3.30 per ton to produce silage. This was of corn that yielded considerable more than 20 bushels per acre. At this price, however. it would probably give you but a fair profit on your silage.
SEALING THE SILO From Prairie Farmer.
Practice in sealing silos ranges from leaving the top in the shape it is at the close of filling to covering with straw on which, after it is thor .. oughly wetted, are sown oats, their germination forming a dense mass that shuts out the air. If no special steps to seal the silo are taken the farmer may expect to find from a foot to a foot and a half of silage at the top which is unfit to feed.
Some farmers wet the top of the silage and sow oats directly upon it. On many farms cornstalks from which the ears have been removed are avail- able for silo sealing. This is a very convenient material for the purpose, as the stalks may be run through the silage cutter following the ear corn. The cut cornstalks should be packed thoroughly and soaked with water.
SILAGE FOR DAIRY COWS
While silage is an excellent feed for dairy stock, it should be combined with some other leguminous feed, such as clover, cow peas, or alfalfa, owing to its insufficient productive quality.
The leguminous material will tend to correct the dificiencies of the sil- age in dry matter, protein, and min- eral constituents. A ration of silage and, say, alfalfa hay alone is satisfac- tory, however, only for cows which are dry or giving only a small amount of milk and for heifers and bulls. Cows in full milk require some con- centrated feed in addition to hay and silage, as they can not consume enough of these feeds to keep up a large flow of milk and maintain body weight.
The amount of silage to feed a cow will depend upon the capacity of the animal to consume feed. She should be fed as much as she will clean up without waste when consumed along with her hay and grain. Raise or lower the amount until the proper quantity is ascertained. Generally : speaking, a good cow should be fed just short of the limit of her appe- tite. If she refuses any of her feed it should be reduced at once. The small breeds will eat 25 or 30 pounds per day; the large breeds 40 or more; and the medium-sized ones amounts varying between.
Ironclad directions for feeding cows can not be given. In general, however, they should be supplied with all the roughage they will clean up with grain in proportion to butter- fat produced. The hay will ordinarily range between five and 12 pounds per cow per day when fed in connec- tion with silage. For Holsteins one pound 'of concentrates for each four pounds of milk produced will prove
18
MARSHALL, PUTNAM, STARK COUNTIES
about right. For Jerseys one pound for each three pounds of milk or less will come nearer meeting the require- ments. The grain for other breeds will vary between these two accord- ing to the quality of milk produced. A good rule is to feed seven times as much grain as there is butterfat produced.
The following rations will be found good:
For a 1,300-pound cow yielding 40 pounds of milk testing 3.5 per cent:
Pounds
Silage 40
Clover, cowpea or alfalfa hay 10
Grain mixture 10
For the same cow yielding 20 pounds of 3.5 per cent milk:
Silage .
40
Clover, cowpea or alfalfa hay ..... 5
For a 900-pound cow yielding pounds of 5 per cent milk:
Silage 30
Clover, cowpea or alfalfa hay 10
Grain mixture 10
Grain mixture 5
For the same cow yielding 15 pounds of 5 per cent milk:
Silage 30
Clover, cowpea or alfalfa hay 8 Grain mixture 5
A good grain mixture to be used in a ration which includes silage and some sort of leguminous hay is com- posed of-
Parts
Corn chop 4. Wheat bran 2
Linseed oil meal or cottonseed meal. 1
In case the hay used is not of this kind some of the corn chop may be replaced by linseed or cottonseed meal. In many instances brewers' dried grains or crushed oats may be profitable substituted for bran, and oftentimes gluten products can be used to advantage in place of bran or oil meals.
The time to feed silage is directly after milking or at least several hours before milking. If fed immediately before milking the silage odors may pass through the cow's body into the milk. Besides, the milk may re- ceive some taints directly from the stable air. On the other hand, if feeding is done subsequent to milk- ing, the volatile silage odors will have been thrown off before the next milk- ing hour. Silage is usually fed twice a day.
DAIRY COW FEEDS
From Prairie Farmer.
Farmer's Bulletin 743 of the U. S. Department of Agriculture contains a number of grain feed mixtures for dairy cows, which may be of interest. We will quote a few of them.
Grain mixtures to be fed with roughages of the low protein class, such as corn silage, corn stover, tim- othy or millet hays, etc .:
Mixture 7-Per centage of digestible portein, 19.4:
400 pounds corn meal.
200 pounds cotton seed meal.
300 pounds gluten feed.
400 pounds dried brewers' grains.
Mixture 9-Percentage of digestible protein, 18.4:
300 pounds corn cob meal.
200 pounds cotton seed meal.
Grain mixtures to fed with high protein roughage, such as clover, al- falfa, etc .:
Mixture 12-Percentage of digestible protein, 14.1:
400 pounds corn meal.
100 pounds cotton seed meal.
100 pounds gluten feed.
100 pounds wheat bran.
Mixture 18-Percentage of digestible protein, 15.5:
100 pounds corn meal.
100 pounds oil meal (old process),
100 pounds ground oats.
Grain mixtures to be fed with com. bination of low and high protein roughages, such as silage and clover or alfalfa hay, corn stover and clover hay, mixed hay or oat and pea hay:
Mixture 23-Percentage of digestible protein. 16 4:
200 pounds corn and cob meal.
19
30
PRAIRIE FARMER'S RELIABLE DIRECTORY
100 pounds cotton seed meal.
Mixture 25-Percentage of digestible protein, 16.4:
100 pounds corn meal.
100 pounds ground oats.
100 pounds cotton seed meal.
100 pounds wheat bran.
Give the cow all the roughage she will eat up clean. Grain mixture should be fed in the proportion of one pound of grain to three to four pounds of milk.
SOME FACTS ABOUT STOCK FOOD
Water is contained in all foods and feeding stuffs. The amount varies from 8 to 15 pounds per 100 pounds of such dry materials as hay, straw, or grain, to 80 pounds in silage and 90 pounds in some roots.
Dry matter is the portion remain- ing after removing or excluding the water.
Ash is what is left when the com- bustible part of a feeding stuff is burned away. It consists chiefly of lime, magnesia, potash, soda, iron, chlorin, and and carbonic, sulphuric, and phosporic acids, and is used largely in making bones. Part of the ash constituents of the food is stored up in the animal's body; the rest is voided in the urine and ma .. nure.
Protein (nitrogenous matter) is the name of a group of substances containing nitrogen. Protein furn- ishes the materials for the lean flesh, blood, skin, muscles, tendons, nerves, hair, horns, wool, casein of milk, al- bumen of eggs, etc., and is one of
the most important constituents of feeding stuffs.
Gluten is the name given to one of the most important of the nitro- genous substances classed together under the general term "protein." "Wheat gum," obtained by carefully chewing wheat, is a familiar example. It is the gluten of flour that gives consistency to the dough.
Carbohydrates .-- The nitrogen-free extract and fibre are ofen classed to- gether under the name of carbohy- drates. The carbohydrates form the largest part of all vegetable foods. They are either stored up as fat or burned in the body to produce heat and energy. The most common and important carbohydrates are sugar and starch.
Fibre, sometimes called crude cel- lulose, is the framework of plants, and is, as a rule, the most indigestible contituent of feeding stuffs. The coarse fodders, such as hay and straw, contain a much larger propor- tion of fibre than the grains, oil cakes, etc.
Nitrogen-free extract includes starch, sugar, gums, and the like, and forms an important part of all feed- ing stuffs, but especially of most grains.
Fat, or the materials dissolved from a feeding stuff by ether, is a substance of mixed character, and may include, besides real fats, wax, the green coloring matter of plants, etc. The fat of food is either stored up in the body as fat or burned to furnish heat and energy.
AVERAGE COST OF RAISING A HORSE (From Investigations of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture).
Service fee
$ 12.95
Time lost by mare in foaling
10.06
Breaking to halter
2.22
Veterinary service
2.04
Care and shelter-1st year, $4.98: 2nd year, $5.36: 3rd year, $6.35.
16.69
Grain fed
4.98;
7.14:
9.56. . . . 21.68
Hay fed 66
4.14;
6.61;
8.48.
19.23
Pasture
66
2.56;
5.41;
6.21 .
14.18
Other costs
5.01
Total $104.06
20
MARSHALL, PUTNAM, STARK COUNTIES
BINDER TROUBLES AND ADJUSTMENTS
'By C. O. Reed. University of Illinois, in Prairie Farmer.
To have to await the services of an expert when every minute of the har- vest days is money is not only an ex- pensive practice, but in most cases is an unnecessary one if the operator will only use patience and good judg- ment and try to understand a few very simple principles of what seems a complicated machine. The purpose of this article is to aid the operator in his most common binder troubles. To cover the ground in the most log- ical and concise manner, let us con- sider troubles under the three general heads: general binder troubles, bind- er head troubles and knotter head troubles.
Starting. If possible, start the new machine on a road or in a pasture before going into the grain field. Use plenty of kerosene and run the ma- chine empty for about five minutes. taking notice that every duct to bear- ings and every oil hole is open. Then apply lubricating oil. When you are ready to enter the grain with a new machine, raise the machine well up, tilt the platform forward; open the throat of the machine by throwing the butt adjuster forward and start in with about one-half of a full swath. After five minutes work the machine is ready for maximum results. If compelled to make a full swath at the start, cut the grain extra high.
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