Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-04-02
Ohio DairYman's Association.
Address icy Hon. Geo. Williams:

Ohlo DalrYman's Ass citation.
Address By Hon. Geo. Williams.
The following is the annual address By lion Gcorc
Williams, of Hclta, n. Y. before the Ohio Dairyman'
| $50 "'""s''"' ''"' ~''h ana s"h
Mr. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN OF THE
ONO DAIRYMEN's ASSOCIATION Pc, feet but
ter and checse are the product of favorable
and perfectly harmOri2ing circumstances
The soil and climate have very much TO dc
with results in this pursuit, so much indeed,
as 20 restrict it TO very limited portions of the
earth, but where they are most favorable. they
avail little nnlbss coupled with care and skill
in the management OF all other requisites.
Assuming then that dalryng viii not be
generally attempted where climate and soil
viii not admit of It's profitable pursuit. we
shall NOT seek eXpcdicnis for overcoming thcil
detects, but turn at once 10 what we deem es.
sential to success in the very highly favored
Localities, after remarking that even In sections
considered most favorable generally euil alone
Is thought to have had much to do with the
differences in the quality OF the butter and
cheese made upon different farms, and again
that the peculiar and unusual character of the
climate of our own country during the last
summer, Is believed to have been the chel
cause OF the improved character of last SEA
sons make OF American cheese
or course then rs an element of success, ,vOui
soil and climate must be favorable to the pro-
ducliOn of the many tender and delicatrly fla
Vorrd gTassrs.
Grass is and must Continue to be your main
reliance as food for the production OF milk, OF
the quality required for rich and clean flavor
ed cheese and better
Not all the grasscs which are readily grown
upon your lands, are equally well adapted To
your wants. But few ol these POSSESS those
peculiar qualities which result in the abundant
flow OF the rich and wholesome milk which
gives the high toned favor and ,;ualily pccu.
liar to your best article.
The mOst experienced dairymen entertain
conflicting opinions as TO just which variety is
best adapted to this purpose, but nearly all
agree that /. e finer varieties, such as incline 10
IA short but thiclS and matty growth, are sw cet-
cr and more tender than those of coarser styuc-
ture
This ~ undoubtedly tic feason why old
pastures are better than newly seeded ones, and
why tnosc sections OF the country where grass
cs take such firm hold of the soil rs TO main
tain prosperous existence for an indefinite
number Of years, are decidedly the best dairy
regions.
Without assuming therefore to settle The
question as to what varieties you should grow, ,
il may not be too much TO ask to keep these
Jints in mind.
The raising of stock especially for the dairy
is matter upon which you cannot be disirstes.
csted, since it lias so much to do with the
profits you are TO realize from your business
No dairyman can afford to keep even an ordi
nary COW upon the high priced lands Of the
better dairy sections.
1t costs but little more TO keep and no more
to care for COW that will retun 500 per sea-
son TO her owne rtlsan' one returning but $50 to
$50.
Report Of factories made for the year 1868,
show the average return or some duirrS To
have been $50 per COW for the season, while
other dairies return an average OF but little
more than $50 per COW. This involves either
II heavy loss in the latter case or heavy profit
in the former. Whichever be true the cOnpar
ison is of great moment to k-escrs OF cows
A statcfRent ot the average returns OF the
COWS Of the entire country would he found so
low as to surprise you upon its first appear
ancc. In Jefferson county, one OF the fair
dairy counties of New York, three or four
years ago, the average througout the county
was found TO be Tess thsn $50 per COW. | am
NOT able To say whether that season was or
was not particularly unfuvorable one
riS not necessary To assume that these row
averages and great differences were wholly the
result OF milking qualities in the nerds Care
and feed probably, had something 10 do with
them, yet we may find demonstratIon of the
fact that the milking qualities of our dairy
stock are miserably low, and that dairymen
improvement of their stock by carefully breed.
ing TO the special qualities Of milk producing
1t can be done us successfully as breeding for
speed in horses, quality or weight of fleece in
sheep, and early tattening tendencies in swine
can be done.
1t has been done in the old countries with
great success and under circumstances no
more favorable than your own. The Ayrshire
~ thought To be the best result Of this special
breeding for the dairy yet attained. This breed,
sprnging from cross of the native stock of
Ayr in Scotland with the Alderneys, has been
the object OF special care for several genera
lions. This Is matter of no small Importance
le you. 1t was said to me by one of TIE most
dairy men of llerkimcr county, one
who bred his stock To supply the wants of his
herd, that not more than two in five OF his
COWS proved sufficiently valuable to the dairy
To warrant their retention.
My own experience with durham grades, has
been scarcely more brtunate than his imVolY-
ing u heavy loss. My want OF success | attri-
bdle TO the controlling influences of the flesh
making tendencies Tor which the DIrhams are
noted
Their breeding has been to ihcspe-ial object
OF beef and the most marked results have been
attained, and the transmission OF flesh forming
prOclivlucs In their progeny has become
matter Of great certainty.
TO engrait upon such stock other charac-
teristics and make them controlling, must
prove an up hill work indeed. The Durham
is estimated by many dairy men because Of the
readiness with which the animal can be tppppd
Tor beef when her usefulness MS a mixer is
gone, unp4indhIll of the heavy loss they must
sustain III carrying Il second class mixer
through series OF seasons, amounting in the
aggregate TO vastly more than the entire value
Of the carcass well iattened for the shambles.
Now ii it be true as is thought, that IN tie
breeding OF Ayrshires, four heiters out OF 1--WE
will prove profitable milkers, we have herein
ample compensation for our care. Even were
the milking qualities no greater, and the milk
no better, ihis consideration must commend
the breed to your favor. The wonderful sue
cess attained in this Instance of breeding To
special point is probably the result 4" con-
siderable extent to the peculiar qualities Of the
grasses natural TO the locality where the breed
was reared, they being OF a nature v stimulate
the secretion OF milk 10 the utmost, rather
than build up the flesh and bone of the animal
as does the grasses OF other sections OF the
emplro. This 70 al advantage that we are not