The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-08-01
STANDARD FOR COWS.
Why One should lie Established In All
the states ~ the Union.

suC CNWS00 - NpC AUsUUs
Very justly for the public interests
there has been q standard for milk
fixed BY which salable milk shall con-
tain not less than Il per cent of solids
and not more than IS per cent. Of water.
This standard is not considered in its
right sense by some dairymen who
complain Of it because it operates
against some Of the cows whose milk
will not reach this kind OF good quail
ity. But the actual purity OF the milk
rs it comes from the COW is not in ques-
tion. it is its food value and its sala-
bility. or the protection Of the public
against the unquestionable disadvant-
age Of paying for inferior milk rs
much as for better quality. and 50
the ror 1opnlt, generally sound an
just, has fixed a certain standard as the
legal quality Of milk and has forbid
den any person to sell milk that ill
not come up to this standard value.
No doubt this is most Just and
salufary measure and it is for the ad-
vantage of the dHirymen themselves
who have no reason to complain II the
public, wiser than they arc. force them
TO protect themselves against q self-in-
flicted injustice. For it is unjust to
himself II farmer will keep on feed
ing the poor cows that will not yield
milk Of a better quality than the legal
standard. A butter maker is obliged
to conform to this same standard by
the force of circumstances which he
can not possibly control. For II his
cows will give less that 81 per cent. Of
fat In the milk he can get only HI in
ferior price for it. only about 10 cents
per 100. while il the milk has A. per
cent. OF fat he gets 30 cents on dol
lar. Lut certainly as much more money
as there is more fat in the milk. And
why should the butter maker be thus
subjected to the law of trade values
and tho milk dairymen be free from il?
Certainly the latter has no good reason
for complaint. In fact both are thus
forced by the standard in either case to
fix standard for their cows; and this is
indispensable for their success in bust
ness. No COW shoul be suffered in q
dairy .'lat is not up To a standard which
will ;,eld profitable return for their
feeding. The common average dis
disbution OF the solids in milk il
about per cent. OF casein. 1 per
cent. of sugar, 3.2j per cent. OF
fat and 10 per cent. OF salts, with
50 per cent. Of water. But cows
vary very much in their natural ability
to yield milk richer than this, and also
in their ability to dispose of food
profitably in the enrichment of their
milk. Some cows are able To digest a
large quantity Of food rich in fats and
to turn it into butter. One COW in my
dairy now can digest no more than
four quarts Of corn meal daily. and il
fed more will suffer from Inflammation
and garget OF the udder. Another cow
will eat probably eight quarts of meal
y day. The noted .Jcr es COW Princess
which gave nearly 4. pounds Of butter
in a week, ate half bushel of oats, a
peck OF corn meal. more that that oil
pea meal and some oil cake meal be-
sides and nearly all the fat in all this
food came into the pail. Every dairy
man knows the truth Of this from his
own experience and yet, strangely.
thousands OF hem will go on feeding
cows I ~ IN not really pay for tie
food they eat. Consequently il would
be Il good thing for them il they were
compelled by law To get rid Of these
cows. and it would be TO their ad Ivan
tage ii such cows were cOnfiscatcd and
got rid Of. But they do not escape the
Improbable consequences OF their folly.
They pay the penalty in disminished
profits from their better cows, the in
come from which goes in part to sup
port the worst ones. So that every
reasonable dairyman should fix the
standard for his cows at not less than
200 pounds Of butter in the season, and
then he should aim to raise every COW
he keeps above this standard as much
as poss. Gle by wedding out the herd,
breeding the best to u good bull and
training the heifers to eat aud digest
as much butter making food as possible.
American Rural Home.