Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-07-05
COWS MUST BE BRED FOR THEIR
MISSION.
THEN THE BUTTER WILL READ
LILY SEPARATE.
Selection of Varieties Very Important
in Apple Growing-Broom Corn not
Difficult Crop to RaiSp-How the
Market Takes tn Conceit out of
Butter Makers

L notice that many dairymen have
more or less trouble in getting their
butter to come, writes a farmer. and
many remedies have been given to the
public. with more or less success. I
am no dairyman professionally. but
L have always had particular fancy
for a tirSt-claSS family COW, and would
always put myself out considerably to
look at an extra fine animal. l have
not forgotten the experience of my
early life, in putting in a good hour
or more with an old-fashioned dash
churn, to get the butter to come:
neither have I forgotten the many
ways [ thought a churn might be
made to save time in churning
At this period of my life there were
two or three shorthorn heifers that
were bred in Ross county, o., and af-
forwards brought to Belmont county,
and one of their number was bought
and taken to Pleasant county, w. Va.
This one [ accidentally came across,
and in this cow [ found that long
looked for churn. Her cream without
any scientific preparation would churn
in a common old dash churn in five
minutes / learned that she transmit
ted this POPULARITY to most of her
heifers, and [ thought that here was
a fortune for some intelligent breeder
to go to work and breed UP a herd
just like this old COW. AT the time we
owned a bull a number of whose
heifers from common woods cows pos
sessed this same trait, and [ urged her
owner to send her to my bull, a pure
shOrthorn, descendant of one of the
early impOrtat tons, but he thought diff
fGrently. and she was bred to bulls Of
fashionable pedigrees, regardless of
their dairy quality. Now for the re-
suit; Several years after l was Wis
ting an old friend who had always
been noted for keeping three or four
fine COWS, and his wife and daughter
were famed for the excellence of their
butter. At the time he had a very
fine Shorthorn COW that came in during
my visit, that made a fine show for
mixer. They had MIXED her one sea-
son, and | asked the old lady if she
than they had owned before The old
lady said: NO; sic has not" they
could not tell just why. "She gave
plenty of milk. but they could not get
the cream to separate as it should, and
what they did get would not churn."
I asked my old friend if he had a
pedigree of his cow; he said he had.
7 fol I tn
my surprise | found that she was a
great granddaughter of the famous old
butter COW [ had 50 much admired for
her great excellence. In this case we
see how little SciotO breeders of short
horns know of the value of their cows.
These cows were never tested, and no
account taken of them outside of rails
ing their calves.
We thought we had learned in this
case a valuable lesson, and [ deter
mined to profit by it in small way
at least, and have been very careful as
to breeding from bulls that were not
from good dairy strains. AS a result
we are milking some heiferS of my
last breeding this winter, and with a
crank churn it has only taken from
five to eight minutes to churn. [ came
to the conclusion years ago that first
class family cow had to be bred, that
it was out of the question to buy her
in nv section of the country, and l
will risk my reputation by saying to
fancy butter-makers, tat you cannot
do your best till your COWS are bred
I'D expressly for butter cows. Then
the cream will readily separate and
easily churn in any common churn,
and the question will not be asked,
why the butter won't come; and l will
make one suggestion to dairymen, that
when cows are exhibited for dairy
purposes a strict account should be
kent of the time that it requires the
cream to separate, and then the time
required to churn it in common old
dash churn, and many would be sur
Drised at the result. But think it the
true method to test all dairy cows,
and the cows that mark the highest
in these points will eventually yield
the most butter. I would be pleased to
see breeders of all the different breeds
of cattle test their cows. 1t would cost
them but very little, and if they would,
many would be surprised at the great
excellence of their cows.