Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-05-23
ESSENTIALS IN DAIRYING.

From an address by Col. Il. d. Cur
tis, Syracuse, New York, before the
Mississippi Valley Dairy and Cream
ery Association in st. Louis.
Some of you may think that what l
have to say is trite and commonplace.
So it is to those familiar with the sub
ject. So are A, B, q, and A, B, ab, to
those educated in letters; but it is very
essential that they should be taught to
every beginner. So shall assume to
speak for the benefit of beginners in
dairying, and l think those who may
have the patience to hear me through
will admit that the most elementary
points are the most essential.
DAIRYMAN.
The first essential in dairying is a
dairyman. This may strike you as self
evident, but l assure you it is no un-
common want. Perhaps as many fail
ures come from the want of dairy
man as from any other one cause. 1t is
not every man who owns dairy that
is dairyman, any more than the man
who owns few paintings is necessari-
" an artist. Money will obtain either
cows or pictures, but money will not
of itself run a dairy or paint a picture;
nor does it follow that the owner can
do either. On the contrary, he may
be destitute of all the qualities essenti-
al to a dairyman or all artist; and the
informed mind will be able to Judge
somewhat of his qualifications by the
selections which he makes-either of
cows for his dairy, or pictures to adorn
the walls of his home. 1t is, therefore,
not so very absurd to declare that the
first essential of dairying is a dairy
man. l think it requires as much
knowledge, intelligence, and judgment
to select good dairy herd as it does to
select a good gallery of pictures. Yet
it is generally supposed TO require a
man of education and refinement, with
good taste and some knowledge of art
matters, to select the pictures, while
any ignorant dunderhead may get up
and run a dairy successfully! But the
public Judgment in regard to the dairy
man has got to be reversed. The time
has come when no branch of agricul-
ture can be run successfully by blind
routine. Hitherto the benefits of edu-
cation, of scientific culture, have been
reflected on agriculture only Indirect
ly, through improved machinery and
implements. "Book farming" has been
sneered at as only theoretical and alb
surd. But "book farming" is coming
forward to drive the sneerer off from
his farm, or to bury him hopelessly be-
meath the debris of disastrous failure.
To use a modern slang, bnt very ex-
pressive word, the man who ignores
the instruction of books will get left. ,
The era of the Survival of the tittest'
in farming is dawning upon US, and
the period is rapidly approaching when
the highest culture and greatest ability
will be demanded on the farm. Dairy
ing, as branch of farming, is no ex-
ception to the rule. Hence say, the
first essential in farming is dairyman.
We have already reached the point
where 1t is beginning to be acknowl-
edged that not every fool is capable ol
selecting or rearing a dairy herd and
running dairy. The first thing to be
considered, then, in the practice ol
dairying, is dairyman. If you have
not the knowledge and judgment your.
self, be sure that you get the best SER
vices of one who thoroughly under.
stands the business. He must not only
know a good cow when he sees her
but how to feed and care for her, and
how to handle her milk and manufac.
ture the product. He must be intelli.
gent, cleanly systematic, and thorough
and do everything at the right time, in
the right place, 'decently, and in or.
der Gentlemen, dairyman is nc
uncommon man, nor is he to be pick.
ell up on every cross-road.. The de
mand for educated dairymen is increas
ing, and will continue to increase fol
many years.
| DAIRY FARM.
The second essential in successful
dairying is dairy farm. 1t is moi
every farm that is advantageously fitted
for successful dairying, although, un-
doubtedly, there are but few farms on
which dairy products may not be man.
ufactured. But the farm that has
sweet springs and running brooks OF
clear water has an advantage of one not
possessing these sources of water sup
ply; and farm on which the tame
grasses readily take root, and form q
thick, enduring turf for both pasture
and meadow, is much better adapted
to dairying than one that has to have
the turf turned over every two or three
years. Such permanent pastures and
meadows are not only labor saying, but
furnish a greater variety OF grasses,
and, therefore. more nutritious and
better balanced feed for dairy or any
other stock. If no permanent turf can
be formed, pasturing can not be prof.
tably resorted to, as the hoofs of the
cattle will poach the soil and destroy
more grass than will be consumed as
food. On such land, soiling would be
the sensible thing to do, and this, un.
der proper conditions, has some ad
vantages. In adopting soiling, it would
be necessary to grow a variety of crops
i'll order to furnish balanced rations foi
the stock, and thus supply, in a meas.
ure, the variety which is secured bx