Wichita eagle., 1889-05-23
PERTAINING TO THE FARM.
Profitable Dairying.


From the Live Stock Indicator.
Diarying and everything pertaining to
that interest, has hitherto been given
but little attention to the great MAORI
ty of farmers in this western country.
This condition of things is happily now
undergoing rapid and radical change.
Even Great Britain has within the last
eighteen months been giving more at
tentlon than ever to diarylng. Diary
schools, both private and public, have
been set ON foot and government aid
i'll the shape Of money appropriations
have been given to an extent hitherto
not attempted, the idea being to educate
the British technically and practically,
SO as to better enable them to meet for
eign competition.
Generally speaking, the American
farmer need not, if he chooses, be at
any disadvantage. Our foremost diary
men can show results that will compare
favorably with those obtained
by dairymen of any other country. The
fact, however, remains that the great
mass OF our farmers are very mucn in
need of instruction and guidance, and
in this respect they would do well to
place the themselves in the attitude of
eager students, beginning at the A. B.
c, of the business, and study the matter
in its entire bearing on their interests as
farmers, as an aid to placing them on
the highway to an independent compe
tency. In order, however, to arrive at
this competency the ground work must
be substantially laid. and the study must
be of thoroughly practical nature in
every detail. If it were true in the olden
time that grapes were not gathered
of thorns nor figs of thistles, it
is equally so now. Profitable
dairying cannot be carried on with
cows that will consume feed to
such an extent as will cost from one
third to half more than their yield of
milk will amount to. Neither will good
cows be a paying investment if the
means taken for converting the milk
into butter or cheese be such that only
low grade is produced and poor prices
obtained. In order to succeed 1t Is in
dispensable that the dairyman be well
versed in the rudiments of his business;
that his cows be selected from dairy
breeds, and from the best dairy strains
at that. Fortunately it is not necessary
that all his COWS should be eligible to
registry, but in order to obtain the best
results it is absolutely necessary that the
sres used in dairy herds be pure bred
and descended from sires and dams Of
deep milking strains.
The selection of cows for dairy pur-
poses, where the conditions are such as
preclude the idea of purchasing high
priced animals from herds where strict
milking records have been kept, will
invariably be found more satisfactory
when selections are made from promis-
ing heifers, the dairyman himself look
ing strictly to the training and future
development of the milking qualities of
those heifers, the proper feeding and
thorough milking of the young cows
with their first calves being matters of
prime importance Otherwise the dairy
ing may be carried on at the farm or the
now popular cooperative creamery sys-
TEN, either of which will pay handsome
ly and help to keep the farmer and his
family in that much needed commodity,
ready money, to meet current expenses.
Meats and grain are very cheap, while
butter and cheese command very fair
prices when of the best quality.