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INDIMAPOLIS, INDIANA, MAY 29th, 1875.
No. 2L
Live Stock.
MEETING   OF  THE   INDIANA
SHORT-HORN BREEDERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Value of a Short Horn, and the
. Characteristics of a Good
Breeding Bull.
Address of Charles Lowder Before the
Indiana   Association  of   Short
Horn Breeders.
This is a field week for the Short-Horn
interests. The State Association has
been in session, and two very important
gales take place, that of Charles Lowder,
on Thursday, and General Meredith &
Son, Friday. We go to press before reports can be had of the sales.
 a    sa»   a,	
Remarkable Horse.—The editor of
the Live Stock Journal, Buffalo, says:
" We have a horse 32 years old, that is
sent home alone from a station, one and a
half miles, and if he hits a hub against a
post, will back and haw off to clear it."
 .     S»      I	
Charcoal for Hogs.—Prof. Knapp
gives valuable advice in a nutshell, as
follows: " Charcoal should be fed to
hogs frequently. Better keep a supply
by them in small boxes. Mix four quarts
of salt, two ounces of sulphur, and one
bushel of wood ashes, and keep constantly in the pens in boxes. It tends
to reduce fever, destroy worms, and aid
digestion."
S      SBS      S	
It Don't Pat.—The Iowa Fine Stock
Gazette utters golden words, when it
says: " Farmers should set about preparing, if they have not already done so,
to improve their stock in the spring. It
doesn t pay to put $20 worth of feed into
a bullock that will bring you but $30.
when the same amount of feed in a good
one will hring $50 or $60. The same is
true of hogs."
 1    a»    a	
Short-Horn Circular.—Col. L. P.
Muir, of Paris,  Kentucky, proposes to
Ipublish an American Short-Horn Circu-
ar, after the plan of John Thornton's,
of London. Thornton's_ circular has
proved invaluable to British breeders,
and one conducted on a similar plan in
America, with its greater investment in
Short-Horns, and the greater distances
between breeders, cannot fail to.prove  ,        . . ,    .
highly advantageous.   Cohmel--Muir'is-H»^8tim»ted «>* lts capacity
thoroughly posted in Short-Horn lore,
and he is capable of making a valuable
record.—Live Stock Record.
INQUIRIES AND ANSWERS.
J
JERSEY CATTLE.
Dr. D. W. Voyles of New Albany,
Indiana, has recently purchased the entire herd of Jersey cattle owned by Col.
L. S. Shuler of Jeffersonville, Indiana.
This herd comprises six head of mature
cows and three heifers and two hulls;
some of the cows have been pronounced
by competent judges as among the very
best to be found in the West.
. This addition gives Dr. Voyles thirty
head of pure Jerseys, selected with much
care, and containing some very superior
animals. Southern. Indiana does not
propose to remain in the back ground
and longer on the stock question.
 a    a>    .	
SHORT-HORN SALES AT CHICAGO.
There were four important Short-Horn
sales at Dexter Park last week, of which
we have brief reports of all except that
of Saturday. It will be seen that the
sales average exceedingly well:
l. ty. towne's sale, may 19in.
29 Cows, average....S692 93   Total.. .320,095 00
11 Bulls,    "        .... 218 20        "       2,390 00
40 head !$5_ 13   Total S22.4&5 00
J. P. SANBORN'S SALE, MAT 20tH.
43 Cows, average ...*454 65   Total 19,549 95
11 Bulls,    "        .... 158 63        "       1,734 93
54 head, gen. av....S394 25   Grand total..»21,284 88
AVERT &  MURPHT.
63 Cows, average...«622 46   Total '.—$39,214 98
12 Bulls,    " ... 920 41      "      11,044 92
75 head  S1A92 87   Grand total..$50,2o9 90
Cost of Raising Horses.—The Agricultural Department having made inquiries as to the cost of raising horses,
in each of the various States, reports as
follows: "In the middle States the
maximum cost of wintering horses, $48
per head, is in New Jersey; next in
order stand Delaware, $43; New York,
$37, and Pennsylvania, $36. Delaware
farmers, last year received the highest
average price for hay, $20 per ton, and
those of New York the lowest, $13.10.
New York received the maximum vxiee
of corn, 93 cents per bushel, and Delaware the minimum, 70 cents. The price
of oats ranged from 52 cents in Delaware
to 60 in New Jersey. Averages of eastern States were as follows: Maine, $37;
New Hampshire, $37; Vermont, $38;
Massachusetts, $45; Rhode Island. $48,
and Connecticut, $45. West of the
Mississippi the average cost ot wintering
ranges from $9 in Kansas to $28 in Minnesota ; Iowa averaged $16; Missouri $12,
and Nebraska $13. Farm prices of hay
vary from $3.68 in Kansas, to $12.05 in
Missouri. The cheaper hav of Kansas
and Nebraska is mostly made from the
wild grasses of the prairies: Corn
► ranges from 43 cents per bushel in Iowa
to 91 in Kansas, and oats from 38 cents
BPer bushel in Iowa, to 53 cents in Kan-
lias."
The meeting was called to order at 2
o'clock p. m., by Charles Lowder, Vice-
President, in the absence of Dr. Stevenson, President of the Association. In
the absence of the Secretary, J. G.
Kingsbury, of this paper, was elected
Secretary pro tem. The attendance for
first meeting was good, and indicates a
meeting of more than usual interest.
Cattle breeders were present from different parts of the State, representing 15 or
20 counties. The first session was occupied in reports from membeis present
in regard to the present condition and
prospect of the Shorthorn interest in
the State. The remarks of speakers indicated an increasing interest in thoroughbred animals of all kinds, hogs and
cattle in particular.
It was generally admitted by farmsrs
that it was no longer the part of wisdom
to raise common or scrub stock on land
as valuable as the average throughout
the State.
Charles-Lowder read his essay on the
the value of Shorthorn bulls, etc., after
which Convention adjourned to meet at
9 a. m., Wednesday. Further reports
of the meeting will be given in our next
number.
Mr. Lowder's Address.
a.
The intrinsic value of an article may
to contribute to the happiness of mankind. This
may be considered true whether the happiness depends upon having a want satisfied that is only imaginary, or one satisfied that is real.
The exohangable value of an article
depends not only upon its real value,
but, to some extent, upon the supply of
and the demand for such article. The
intrinsic value of air and water can not
be estimated, yet it is seldom that either
has an exchangable value. A loaf of
bread usually has but a small exchangable value, while to the starving man it
is worth more than costly diamonds. In
common language and in common business transactions we estimate the value
of an article by what it will bring in the
market, the supply and the demand both
entering with the calculations as elements to .regulate the price. The demand for an article depends much upon
the extent to which it may be used by
the purchaser in contributing to satisfy
his wants. A saw-mill to remain at a
point where timber could not be had, or
where there was no demand for lumber
in common acceptation would be worth
little or nothing, while in other localities
would have a large exchangable value.
Hence, the value of a thing depends
generally upon the manner in, and the
extent to which it can be used.
A Shorthorn bull that would be worth
$10,000 in the hands of certain men, for
other men to keep would not be worth
$1,000; and -still for other men
would be dear at even $100. It
depends upon how you can use
him. Suppose a bull of the purest
pedigree, nas the size, form and quality,
and all the elements necessary to make
up a perfect bull individually; and still
he has the capacity to transmit to
all his get, with nearly unfailing certainties, all his good qualities ; and that his
owner has a large herd of cows, as many
as he could serve successfully every year,
say seventy-five or one hundred head,
nearly or quite equal in quality to thc
bull, and tbat he is breeding expressly
to produce superior animals to sell to
other men, such a bull is worth to that
man the extreme price above# named.
His intrinsic value is equal to it. But,
the same bull with all his capacity for
producing superior stock if limited' to
forty or fifty cows, and the produce to
be prepared for and sold to the butcher
at three or four years old might not earn
for his owner in a short life-time more
than the second price named, over and
above interest and the expense of keeping. Again, if the same Dull could have
access to only a few cows annually, and
the calves of his get were all sold for
veal, he would earn no more than a. low
grade or mean scrub. It would not be
his fault. His intrinsic value would be
the same. His exchangable value depends upon how he can be used.
A good Shorthorn bull descended
from pure ancestors, both male and female, that were themselves good, may be
depended upon for producinggood calves
even from very inferior  cows.   On   an
THB  MABSH HARVESTER IN  OPERATION.
average it would be safe to say that his
calves would at one year old sell to the
intelligent grazier for $10 more than
those sired.by an ordinary low grade;
and at two years old for $25 more, and at
three years old to the butcher or shipper
for $40 or $50 more. It would be safe
to say that calves from such a bull bred
and kept by the well to do farmer until
three years old would each net him at
least $25 more than those sired by such
bulls as generally run the public highways, and to be found op many good
farms. A little calculation would illustrate what a Shorthorn bull would bc
worth. From the time he is_ one year
old until he is two he could sire twenty-
five calves, from two years old until
three fifty calves, and after that until
ten years old seventy-five a year. Suppose then a farmer having as many cows
as one bull could serve, and he should
buy a first-class Shorthorn of only good
pedigree, one year old, and should keep
him three years, he would then have
one hundred and fifty calves that would
be worth when disposed of the nice little sum of $3,750 as a profit for the
services of the bull. The bull earned
it. The farmer would not have had it
but for the use of the thorough bred
bull.
But suppose again that the same bull
was not pre potent, that is, that, though
good himself, he did not have tbe power
of transmitting to all his get his own
good quality, but that a portion, say one-
half of the calves were but little better
if any than those sired by an ordinary
bull; and those good ones were worth
only twenty dollars per head extra on
account of the good blood, we still have
$1,500 for the extra value of his services.
This would certainly count a very
good per cent, on $500 over and above
the expense of keeping. The intrinsic
value of a good thoroughbred Short-
Horn bull is such that no good farmer
who pretends to raise cattle for the
shambles can afford to do without his
services. He cannot afford to breed to
mean bulls. But, says tho farmer. I
have but a few cows, and cannot afford to
buy a good bull,. That may be. A
farmer that raises but little grain cannot
afford to build a mill to grind his only.
He does not like to eat whole corn, yet
he could do it and live. Heand more of
his neighbors could put their means together and build a mill that would be
sufficient to do the grinding for
all, or one man having the capital
might build the farmers engaging
to furnish grain allowing a reasonable rate of toll for pay. So a number
of good farmers might join together and
buy a bull that would be worth from
$500 to $1,000, furnishing as many cows
as he could serve successfully every year
and make the investment better than
bank stock. The bull would earn them
a large per cent. They cannot afford to
do without him.
may not be believed by some of my
hearers, yet I declare he is worth the
money, and would earn the amount in
one season, if properly used, simply in
the production of steers alone. Then,
when we consider that there are probably not less than 250,000 cows in Indiana
that ought to be replaced with half-
bloods or higher grades or thoroughbreds ; and that by the use of thoroughbred bulls only the native and low.grade
cows can be replaced by tho high grade
or thoroughbred in a few years, the value
of their services becomes more apparent.
It is their known superior merits, in
grading up the common stock of the
country that brings them into such demand, and the comparative scarcity of
good bulls contributes to the high price.
The price is regulated by the supply and
the demand. The farmer who proposes
to wait until good Short-Horns can be
bought at beef price will never be the
purchaser of a good bull.
Bulls are valuable only as they are
capable of producing uniform good stock.
The progressive farmer having come to
a correct conclusion as to what constitutes excellence _in a good steer, and
knowing what kind of cows he has to
breed from, would naturally inquire
how shall I know a good bull? and
what are tbe "characteristics of a good
breeding bull ?" As a law of nature
"like tends to produce like." A bull
tends to breed like himself. He transmits to his offspring that only which he
has himself. If his ancestors both male
and female, were uniform in all that
constitutes excellence and he is individually good, he may be depended upon
for producing good stock. But if part
of his ancestors only were good and the
others bad, he may transmit to his offspring bad qualities as well as good. He
can transmit only what he has himself.
What he has is mainly derived from his
ancestors, yet he may have gained or
lostibyagood orabad system of oreeding,
feeding, and training. Hence, the pedigree of a bull should bc good. This is
of first importance. That isas near all
the blood in his veins as possible should
be derived from good anocstors. A
short pedigree with only five or six sires,
if they were all good, may be worth
more than a long pedigree descended
from Favorite, if the last five or six sires
were inferior bulls. A long pedigree is
not necessarily a good one, nor a short
pedigree absolutely a bad one. The value of a pedigree is estimated not only by
its lengtn but also by its quality. In
selecting a bull to breed from, the value
of his dam should be taken into consideration as well as that of the sire ;
her milking qualities should not be overlooked. A bull frem a cow that is a
good milker is worth more, other things
being equal, than one from a poor milker. As hinted above the value of a
bull depends upon his power to produce
uniform  good calves.   Some   bulls   of
A bull with light jaws, narrow face and
forehead, slim horns, thin neck, and
shoulders, is seldom an impressive sire
of good things. He must be masculine
in appearance. This does not imply that
he must be coarse; on the contrary he
should be fine. Coarseness may be defined as unevenness, while fineness
is the result of uniformity. Each part
should be such that it fits smoothly and
evenly to those adjoining it.
As has been said above, a bull is valuable only as his breeding is valuable.
This depends, of course, to some extent,
upon the cows to which he is used.
Great extremes between sire and dam
seldom nick well together. The intelligent breeder in making selection of his
breeding bull, will have regard to the
cows with which he is to be coupled. If
they are under size, he will select a bull
of good size, one that is not too large.
Great extremes don.'t mix well. If his
cows are very large and inclined to breed
too much bone for the amount of flesh,
he will select a bull of rather compact
form and good fleshy qualities, but one
that is not too-much under size. The
skillful breeder, before selecting his bull,
should determine what he wants,_ and
should be able to give an intelligent
reason why he wants him; and, after
having made his purchase, should know
how to use him. The ability to answer
intelligently to what, why and how, is as
indispensible to the successful breeder
of neat cattle as it is to the man in any
other profession.
Editor Indiana Farmer.
Tell your correspondent, "J. C.." to
give hiB hogs char coal and ashes, and all
the soap suds they will drink, and report
the result through the Indiana Farmer
to its numerous readers.       S. M. B.
Setting Hens.—I would like to learn
through the Farmer if a setting hen
must turn her eggs to make them hatch,
or not. If they do, our old speckled
hen is for trade.
Tell W. H. Whetzel to give his hogs,
once a week, a dose of sulphur, copperas
and salt petre, viz: 2 ounces of sulphur,
1 ounce of copperas, § ounce of salt
petre in about 1 peck of ashes once a
week, and plenty of good, clear water to
drink. B. H. R.
Raising Beets.—Mr. J. A. Blake
asks through the Farmer how to raise
beets. I _ will give him my experience:
I have raised beets that you could not
put in a peck measure. I plow the
ground and harrow it good; then I take
the cultivator and go over the ground,
after-that I draw up ridges with a hoe
and break all the clods so that the ground
is as mellow as it can be made. Then I
set the beet plants on the ridges about a
foot apart. About a week after I have
set out I take liquid manure and put it
along en the ridges. The liquid ought to
be put on twice, the first time one week
after they are set out, the second time
about three weeks after. The best time
to put the liquid on is about sundown.
The soil is a yellow clay. I hoe them as
I would corn, to keep the ground loose
and the weeds down. To feed them I
put them in a box and then take a spade
or shovel and cut them up pretty fine,
then mix some chaff and bran with
them ; they are then ready to be fed.
I. M. Bassong.
Coldspring, Indiana.
Premium Watch.
Editor Indiana Farmer :
I hereby acknowledge the receipt of
that very superior watch, which you
awarded me for a club for the Indiana
Farmer. It is a magnificent time-keeper, and is almost my constant companion.
When I look into its ever correct face,
I am reminded of the kind donor, who
has my kindest thanks.
Ira T. Gregg.
Johnson County, Indiana.
[The watch alluded to was obtained at
the old reliable establishment of McLene
& Northrup, this city.—Publishers.]
Premium No. _
The Crops in Morgan Conn y, Ind.
We have a very good country for wheat,
yet our crop this year will be only medium.
Fruit all killed. Oats look very well.
Farmers are done planting corn. Corn
is scarce and commanding a good price,
65@70 cents per bushel.
Hogs are scarce and in good demand.
Farmers do not take enougn interest in
thoroughbred stock. I think the more
readers there are of your paper, the
stronger the tendency to improve the
the culture of both farm and stock.
There are not enough potatoes planted
for this kind of country., Caterpillars
are becoming very numerous in this
section.. We generally burn them with
a torch lighted with ooal oil.
Our Grange, Green Township Grange,
999, is in good working condition, containing 60 or more members.
John W. Caldwell.
Morgan County, May 24,1875.
Editor Indiana Farmer;
My wagon (Studabaker Bro's, manufacturers, South Bend, Indiana), is received all right—am well pleased with
it, and ten thousand thanks to the
Farmer for it. _ I feel proud of my nice
and valuable prize.
The Farmer has many warm friends
in Warrick county. I expect to use my
influence forthe Farmer wherever I go,
as I consider it the farmer's friend'and
counselor. J. G. Baker, Agent.
Folsomville, Indiana. •":..:!
CXss   County. — The  Cass  County -
Grange Stock Association commenced
business March 24,1875, and their transactions thus far, in   farm implements,
amounted.
To April 24 „ 52,195.41
To May 17 2,738.08
Total ; $4,933.49
This is certainly a most excellent
showing for a new organization, and
only two months' business.
The Public Finances.
There were in Indiana, according to j great individual merit lack this power,
the last census. 393,736 milk cows. AI- while other bulls throw calves better
lowing one bull for every seventy-five than themselves or the cows to which
cows and it would require 5.243 bulls, they are bred." This latter is one of the
We have in Indiana to-day 260 Short-; characteristics of a good bull.
Horn bulls able for full service, or one-; It is impossible for any one to always
twentieth of the number we should; tell how bulls will breed until they are
kave I tested;   yet the intelligent and careful
While I am free to acknowledge that j farmer or herdsman can guess with ap-
an ordinary small farmer with only four proximate certainty as to the general
or five common cows cannot afford to pay character of the get. A good breeding
for his own use $200 for a bull, I wish to bull must not only be like a bull, but he
insist that while there is a lack of at' must look like a bull; that is, he must
least 5 000 thoroughbred bulls in Indiana] not look like, a cow; he must be mas-
that should be supplied, and at least culine in appearance. And this holds
50000 farmers in our State organized] good as well in the pure short horn as in
in' Granges for the purpose of co-opera- j the scrub or any other breed. A good
tion and mutual assistance in all things bull is as much entitled to the peculiar
that pertain to their interest, no good eye, head, horn, neck, shoulder and
thoroughbred Short-Horn bull should chest that characterizes him as a male,
sell in the State at public auction for' as a man is entitled to his beard and the
less than $500.   Though the assertion peculiar expression of the countenance.
The official statement of the receipts
and expenditures of the national government for the nine months ending with
the first of April, being the 'first nine
months of the present fiscal  year, show
the following facts:
Receipts.   Expenditures.
First quarter $80,8_,235 99    585,313,489 42
8eeond quarter    62,561,717 12      58,714,564 23
Third quarter-    76,598,746 36      78,195,521 00
The Government absolutely forbids
parties going to the Black Hills, and the
military are ordered to arrest such as
attempt to do so, as in violation of the
Indian treaty of 1869.
Cheapest House in America.
Total   8219,944,749 47   1222,223,514 65
In these three quarters it will be seen
that the receipts were about $2,250,000
less than the expeditures. During that
time tbe redeeming and issuing of bonds
on behalf of the Syndicate, about balance
each other at the end of the transaction.
During the last quarter above specified,
however, the expeditures do not include
redemptions of five-twenties to the
amount of $1,096,000 for the sinking
fund, which swells the excess of expenditures over income for the first three
quarters, to about $3,350,000.
This is the claim of the new, large and
elegant Dry Goods Establishment at 84
East Washington street, this city. It
would not be difficult to test this as
nearly all classes of goods are labeled^ in
large bold figures and the firm give
samples when desired. The firm is Rivet
& Pardridge and place, 84 East Washington street. 21-lw
Novelties.
The United States Novelty Company
have opened an office in this city and
offer Patrons special terms on novelties
of every description. You can buy of
them a full set of croquet 8 balls and
highly ornamented for $2.50; family size
ice cream freezer for $3, will freeze cream
in eight minutes; sewing machine attachments 50 cents off; tuck markers
85 cents, usually sold for $3. ,
Silver table ware a specialty. Spoons
knives and forks replated as goofl as new.
Send for a price list. Address the U. S.
Novelty Company, 133} Meridian street,
Indianapolis. 21-2w