The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-09-11
ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE DAIRY
INTERESTS OF NORTH
CAROLINA,

Through the Medium of the State Fairs.
1t has seemed to us that the State
Fair presents a good opportunity to
study and encourage the dairy interest
of the State It is true North Carolina
Is not at present a dairy State 1t is
equally true she may and can be more
of dairy State than she is. With our
interests nearly all centered in agricuI.
tural pursuits, it is a shame that dairy
products, cattle foods and pork should
be brought from without our borders.
Especially is this common practice
most inadvisable when we consider the
low state of fertility of farming lands
generally, and that this is chiefly due
to the neglect of live stock interests
and cropping the soil without regard
for anything but the present crop.
Extensive cropping must give way to
less extensive farming with stock hus-
bandry and intensive methods. By this
means, while it is not likely any very
remarkable results will be achieved,
enough has been done on farms of our
acquaintance to show that the improve
ment by this course is sure and steady,
and that policy of this kind steadily
adhered to will secure good crops and
prosperity for those who practice it.
There are many who share this belief.
Some believe it, or assent to it. but go
on in the old way others stand halting
between two opinions and make no
progress, while a few start out and
blaze the way toward better things. 1t
is to these pioneers that we are all in
debted for the light which leads us on,
and which promises so much for the
future
If progress is to be made with live
stock it must be with one of two kinds
cf stock, whatever breed used the
common neglected stock of the country,
or that which some one else has i'm.
proved or kept good Two ways are
open for Improvement, !. e., to feed
well and to breed we'll Some men can
buy good stock to start with, while
others less favorably situated must
start with the best their means will
afford, usually native or grade females,
and feed them we'll Then, by select
ing sires better bred than their own
stock, great improvement can be made.
Having thus started, the way for
further gains, to men of large or small
means alike, lies in testing what they
have with the best comparative means
at hand, and to discard the progeny
from all but the best,
In testing COWS we hope to show
many of our people one of the best, as
it is the most advanced, of methods of
testing the comparative, and also the
intrinsic, value of COWS.
The Babcock Test has become so well
known as hardly to need explanation.
It is simple machine by which any
on9 WHO can learn to measure milk in
a glass tube, who can weigh accurate
ly, and who knows the multiplication
table, can easily test milk and deter
mine the amount of fat it contains, and
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butter it will make This determine
ton of fat also indicates the value of
the milk for food or cheese making.
The method of operating is to weigh
the milk as soon as drawn from the
cow and bring it to uniform condi
tion by pouring back and forth few
times gently from one vessel to an
other; measure out given amount,
and put with it an equal volume of
commercial sulphuric acid. Then after
whirling itsin the machine and filing
up with hot water it is easy to read the
per cent. of fat in the neck of the bot
tie. Multiply the weight of milk given
by the COW at each milking by the
number denoting the per cent of fat
and divide by one hundred for the
weight of butter fat. Divide the num-
Der denoting the butter fat by .85, and
the quotient will be the amount of but.
ter which the milk tested should yield.
Thus it is but a simple matter, if care
is taken, to make the test with great
accuracy.-F E. Emery, Agric1sl
t1trist.
A lot of first class hogs is one of the
/ IL L e.