Rocky Mountain husbandman., 1884-08-21
QGghe z n1atry,
THE BUTTER YIELD.

The results of butter tests among the
iarmers' butter cows demonstrate plainly
that the limit of butter production has not
vet been reached. twenty-five years ago
the COW which could make fourteen pounds
a week, was as remarkable AS the Jersey or
Holstein which now comes before the pub
lie with record of twenty-eight pounds a
week. Is it possible to do much better?
Taking the present as basis, is it possible
that the ratio OF the last quarter of a century
can 90 on through another, and the future
COW of the 1900 produce titty-SiX pounds OF
butter in one week? While it is quite i'm
possible that suCh a result will ever be at
tanned. it is fully as certain that the extreme
limit of butter production has never yet
been recorded. One pound a day has been
considered high average through the good
grass months of June and July; under
varying conditions in exceptional cases this
has gone up to four pounds and over. Can
five pounds per day be reached: Possibly;
but is it wise to do it? Many good cow
has been spoiled by forcing her to her ut
most capacity. When a man is forced to
labor hey end his naturar stergth, just so
far his vitality is impaired. 1t is so with
the OK, it is so with the horse. A COW,
forced TO give an unnatural production of
milk, will become improbable tor doing
purposes in two or three years, SO milkmen
tell us. A really good COW, with all the
good points, is too valuable an animal to be
spoiled in few years. Her usefulness
should run through ten or twelve years at
least; and the COW which has strong con-
stitution and the quality of long endurance,
will bring a calf every year, and yield a
flow of milk during ten of its twelve months.
The forcing method of the last few years
would undermine her vitality almost before
she entered on the career of her usefulness,
and thus cripple the means by which her
good qualities might be transmitted and
| perpetuated.
The object in keeping cows, OF course, is
profit. To secure this, We want the best
mixers and butter yielders, and the queS-
ton is when we get a good COW, whether
it is better to force her to exhaustion in
three years, for the sake of little more
profit, or let that profit run through ten
years, with all the probable benefits that
result to community through the trans
mission of the dairy qualities to her off
spring. Good cows are scarce, but if the
latter rule was observed, there would be
more of them, and with stronger and more
lasting qualities OF endurance.
On the little island of Jersey, from where
our famous butter COWS come, the average
yield per COW is considerably less than one
pound per day. Here she must do twice
that or she has no chance of getting upon
the record. \ cow which will turn out but
ter at the rate of twenty-eight pounds il
seven days, and nine hundred pounds in 3
year, and bring a calf in time, is the idea
COW of so-day. But if you have a COW o.
whatever blood, which is making three hun
dred pounds OF butter year without the
forcing process, she is good cow, and you
need not be wasting time in looking for the
nine hundred pound year COW, for she is
not the one the average farmer will succeed
in producing in the present generation
Should such an instance occur anywhere, II
would be simply accidental, and not only
the cow but the whole family relation woulG
be controlled by monied men, and the prices
held so high as TO be absolutely beyond ou
reach. Our interests will bd best subsery
ed first, by holding our best COWS and ado
to them by receiving the best without over.
stepping our means; second, by breeding
to the best bulls, always remembering, il