The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-04-25
IMPROVING DAIRY STOCK.
The Breeding Up Process the Rest 10
Farmers OF Moderate Means.

The Breeding Up Process the Rest 10
Farmers Of Moderate Means.
There are many farmers who kee
alt dozen cows, make some butter t.
sell, or sell milk, and who regard the
cows with very dubious eye because
it is uncertain whether they pay for
their keep or not. They have too few
cows to make it much of an object to
attend to them in first class way. and
they have too many to neglect alto
gether. In short they are ION the
fence" and cant quite make up their
minds upon which side to get down;
whether on the side where the dairy
is, or on the one where ''enOugh milk
and butter for family use' seems to
give the best prospect OF relief. There
is one thing certain, and that is, they
should get of OF the fence at once. As
they are situated now they are losing
money. Every thing done for the
cows or with their products, is done in
half-hearted way, and like all other
things done in that style, it means
loss. Sometimes the cow owner is
on the fence because he has got the
wrong kind OF cow to work with. He
hears Of dairy herds averaging $50 to
800 pounds Of butter per COW. while
the best his cows can do is 175 pounds,
and he rightly thinks there is not much
money in that kind of business. If he
likes dairying and concludes to i'm
prove his methods, his course to pur-
sue is a plain one, viz, get butter
cows; or If he prefers to sell whole
milk, get milk cows, those bred to give
large quantity Of good milk. This is
easy to advise, but not always easy to
follow. But there are two ways to get
good cows; one is to buy them, and the
other is to breed them; the latter is
much the cheaper, SO far as present
outlay is concerned. and can be fol-
lowed by any one DESTROYS of improv-
ing his stock. and willing to spend
time, instead of that scarcer article.
money.
Surprising the farmer decides to inn
prove his stock by breeding up, the
first step is to use good bull; and if
there is good one in his vicinity he
can hire his services, if not, then he
must buy one. As the bull is .half the
herd" it Is very important that he get
q good one. The animal need not be
Of a fashionable" family. but he must
be Of good one, and a milk bull or q
butter bull, according to what kind of
dairying is to be followed. Some OF
his present stock OF cows are better
than the others, and from the best
cows the heller calves should be saved
to start the future herd. II the bull is
a very prepotent one, then calf from
the poorest COW in the herd will proba-
bly, be one hundred per cent. better
than its mother; but good bull of any
dairy breed will be prepotent enough
to insure a vast improvement in his
calves out OF almost any thing in the
line Of scrub cows.
But he must be sure of one thing:
that he is thoroughbred. He need
not be registered, If his owner never
expects to breed full bloods, but he
must be eligible to registry. Never
breed from a grade bull if you wish for
sure improvement. Now that our
friend has got down on the right, Or
dairy side Of the fence, he must keep
on with his new dairy IDEAS and carry
them clear through the whole business,
COW feed, COW stables and COW care.
He must learn how to make the very
best grade of butter. and hunt up GUS
toners who want that kind and are
willing to pay ten to fifteen cents more
for it than for the general run of farm
butter. Before his new herd is grown.
ne should see il extra feed and care
will not add much to the yield of his
scrub stock. There is great deal in
he feed. but we must have the breed
rst for the best results. Orange Judd
armer.