West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1884-11-21
DO Apples Injure Mich CCwsl

The lack of intercourse among dairy
men, and farmers generally, socially
and through the press, is serious OBJ
staclc TO the circulat on of useful infor-
mat on, which greatly retards progress
IN the whole business of agriculture.
80 few read agricultural papers, or
have frequent conference with those on
gagged in SIN lar lines of business. that
IL takes great while for items familiar
TO some TO become known to others
Fifteen years ago every agricultural ed
ltor was every week or two piled with
the question: ''Will corn meal dry up
milch cows" IL took four or five wears
to "dry ~" the inquiry 50 that 1t only
came at considerable intervals. We
seems now to understand that corn
meal is an excellent milk-producino
food, and only dres up the flow when
fed too freely. A similar inquiry in re-
gard to apples has gone the rounds of
the press for several Years --l lone
enough and often enough, it would
seem, TO be familiar TO the most $50
lated owner of n COW, but the questicn
still comes. The owner of a small
dairy says: 81 have large orchard
for the size of my farm, and, for the
first time in several years, il is loaded
down with apples. j have more wind
falls and fru t not fit for barreling than
/ know what to do with. l could sell
them at the cider mill, four-and a-hali
miles distant, for fifteen cents hun.
dred weight, but this would not tally
with my temperance principles, MOI
pay for the labor of picking and haul-
ing. My pigs take all they will eat,
and are doing well on them, ard my
cows would take the rest if they would
do them any good, or would not dry
up the milk. Would they have any
value for cow feed. or what had bet
ter do with themp'
Reply Apples are Just rs good for
cows as for pigs, but they can not. Ike
pigs. be permitted TO help themselves
dd bbttum. They must be dealt out TO
them according to the judgment OF the
feeder. A half-bushel per cow daily,
in two feeds. would be used with nd.
vantage. The writer once fed thirty
six COWS running to pasture. each per
day, peck of common apples. for for
ty-five days, and the daily milk and
cheese record of the season showed a
production OF $50 pounds of cured
cheese due to feeding the apples, equal
TO seventeen ounces of cheese from each
bushel of apples, which was worth. ms
dairy cheese is now, ten cents pound.
The whey from the increase of milk TO
make that amount of cheese, reckoned
at 20 cents per 900 pounds, was worth
$3.50. making the total product from
4O5 bushels OF apples fed, $40. 90, equal
TO IA cents per bushel IL cost less
trouble to feed the apples 10 the COWS
than to deliver them at n cider-mill.
though one was quite convenient We
have no statistics OF results from apples
fed 20 COWS when making butter, but
consider them quite rs valuable for but
ter as for cheese production. Our cor
respondent does not say whether no
makes butter or cheese, but whichever
he makes, he need not be afraid of in
juring the flow OF milk or damaging
the quality Of his products by giving
his COWS moderate daily feed OF APP
pies.
Over n considerable extent OF coun.
try where cows arc leading item in
the management Of the farm, the apple
crop is this year very large, and the
fruit good, and thousands Of bushels
are lying on the ground and going to
waste, which, but for the foolish scare
abos! their drying up milk, might DO
turned to good account, and II seems a
pity that they should be wasted
Feeding % cows or pigs is not, how.
ever, always the most profitable way Of
disposing Of all the apples not Gt for
barrcling or market. There is
medium quality Of apples between
those mercbantable and those which
generally go for cider that are worth
more for cooperating than for feeding.
Apparatus for drying fruit is now 81
cheap and convenient. and operates
with so much facility and ease. that IL
pays those who have apples pretty
plenty To procure n small evapOratOr
and dry the fruit on the farm. II Ofton
happens that all the good fruit not
wanted for the use Of the family wilt
pa better when eyaporated than when
sold green. -- National Line Stock Jour
nal