Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-07-03
FARM ANDGARDEN
An Elaborate Essay on
the Dairy.
ECONOMY OF AMPLE FEEDING
Practically Illustrated-Line Fences
Said to Be the Cause ofQuarrels
Between Neighbors.
ECONOMY OF AMPLE FEEDING

The Bible saws: 1.-THE liberal man
deyiseth liberal things, and by liberal
things shall he stand" There is no
truer doctrine to apply to dairying than
this. saws HOdrd's DdirymGR. The past
winter has demonstrated it to dot.
The prices Of grain feed were high
higher than has been known in years.
Bran reached as high in Wisconsin as
S22 ton, and oats are now worth in this
market 55 cents bushel. Bran is now
selling here at $16 ton. Fine creamery
butter in the winter ran to 80 cents, av-
eraging, we think, from January to April
| at least 20 cents.
With this situation in view thousands
of farmers in this State and all over the
West babe farewell to their dairy judg-
ment and went deliberately at work to
nut their COWS on short ratiOns. The
consequence is the average herds in this
State are coming into spring pasture In
poorer condition than we have seen them
for years. Butter is still high, consider
ing the season of the year, but the COWS
are in poor condition to do profitable
work. There seems to be great lunary
in the minds of great many farmers IN
regard to feeding COWS literally. They
will feed hog well if corn is never SO
high. for they will say "we can't expect
to get anything for the pork if it is not
fit for market" That is all sound sense.
They will keep their horses in good work
ing condition, for the ing work must
be done. All true. But when bushel
of oats with little good hay will pro-
duce three pounds of butter worth at
their door 81 cents, they will refuse to feed
the oats and make haste to sell them for
SIS cents. New England dairymen have
for years paid in the neighborhOodo of $50
ton for bran; sometimes more. Yet
thew buy it, and where they have good
butter cows to feed it to they make
money swapping bran for butter. As a
square proposition no dairymen can af-
ford to let herd of good cows get in a
low condition. He not only robs him
self of chance for present gain, but he
seriously cripples his future.
1t is just this constant tendency to
hold penny so close to the eye that
golden eagle cannot be seen on the other
side of it that cuts the sand from under
the feet of the average dairyman. If we
look around, we can see everywhere evil
dence enough to satisfy reasonable man
as to the best policy to pursue. In all
places it is the liberal feeder who makes
the most money. Ills SKepJlcal nelghDOr
will say: can't see how he does it;
he pays so much for feed" Nevertheless
he does it. There has not been a day
the past year that feed has been so high
but what a dairyman with COW that
would yield three-fourths to a pound of
butter day could richly afford to give
her all she could economically consume.
The trouble with the men who talk diff
| ferently is that not one in a thousand
bhas any figures to show for his belief.
They have nothing but mere guesswork
to stand on. Is it not about time that
every dairyman established a foundation
of knowledge? 1t will be mighty inn
portant for him to know pretty soon
whether he is guessing to his good or i'll.