80 years ago this week. The old Mahoning County courthouse and county jail in Canfield were sold at auction by Auctioneer Harvey E. Barker. The courthouse, which was built shortly after 1847, was occupied as a courthouse until 1876, when the county seat moved to Youngstown. W.J. Smith, head of the Altimo Culture Company, paid $6,900 for the old courthouse; Mark Liddle of the Farmers bank in Canfield purchased the old jail for $1,300.
J. Wilmer Hall’s Jersey herd led the Barnesville Cow Testing Association’s February report. His Torono’s Sophia led with a production of 65.84 pounds of butterfat, while his herd of four registered Jerseys was first with an average of 48.25 pounds of butterfat.
50 years ago this week. About 10 billion gallons of motor fuel are consumed on U.S. farms annually, according to a recent survey of the national farm market. This approximates one-fourth of total U.S. consumption.
The farm figure includes fuel used in stationary engines, but cars, trucks and tractors account for more than 7 billion gallons.
A fifth of all farmers, it was learned, drive their automobiles at least 15,000 miles a year, while the same proportion put that much mileage on their trucks in a year’s time.
25 years ago this week. There are 10 percent fewer cows in the United States today than there were three years ago when the country’s cow herd reached a peak level. That’s according to the National Cattlemen’s Association. According to the Cattle-Fax market analysis service, the cow herd now totals approximately 50.5 million head, down 4 percent from last year and 11 percent from the cyclical high Jan. 1, 1975. Cattle-Fax predicts cow slaughter may total about 8 million head in 1978, 2 million less than last year. The service also says this year’s large slaughter may lead to another cow herd decrease this year.
