The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-03-19
REPLY BY MR. BENN1NGER


The idea is grand one and one that
our Northern colleges should have
adopted long ago.
| have had in my employ a graduate
of Amherst Agricultural College, Mass,
as herdeman. He was scientifically
good man and understood the science
of feeding all right but was too slow to
do the work successfully and prOiGably
and was obliged to get man from a
stock farm, who had practical expert
ence. Lart spring secured a graduate
from the Cornell University to take
charge of our French coach horse.
This man was scientific and understood
the science of feeding, but was not
practical enough to make it a success
There is at this time a great demand
for educated and practical men as farm
managers and herdsmen, but they
must be able to take hold and show
how to do things as well as TO be able
TO tell how it is done.
The wages for such services varies
from $50 to 800 a month. am pay
ing my herdsman $45 a month, and he
is not a college graduate; if he was, his
services would be worth at least $25
month more. A stock breeder in New
York pays his herdsman $50 month,
and his manager and salesman about
800 month and board.
know OF several positions open now
for first class herdsmen at about $50
month and board, but III these cases
they must be able to make recoI ds and
fit and show cattle at the fairs.
There are q number of rich men who
run farms as a play ything, or side shows,
and care not whether they make much
money or not, but in all cases want it
self sustaining and want good practical
farm managers.
The idea of sending students to good
paying stock farms is a good one, but
they must be willing to take off their
| coats and go to work and learn how to
feed, milk, disinfect the bran, take
care Of the manure, and, above all,
learn how to keep the cattle and every
thing clean, together with hundred
other things that are absolute neceesi
ties on a stock farm. This would give
them a chance to learn how to sell
stock.
In regard to the coarse feed in the
dairy, I an con nvinced that the South
ern people are IN error, for | learned
while in the South that they can grow
the best dairy feed in the country. The
best food that we have in all it's stages
is corn, which is their second staple
crop. The next thing is cotton seed
meal to make butter, and the cotton
seed hulls are as good as the average
hay made in the North. Besides do
not eee why hay cannot be raised in
the North. would grow oats and
corn and cut while young if could not
raise any other hay.
am Of the opinion that coarse dairy
| food could be raised for about what the
| freight rate would be on the same
l think that Southern farmers do not
fertilize and cultivate their land
enough.
find that q dairYman cannot, be
successful unless he properly feeds and
takes care of his cattle, and good crops
can also not be raised unless the land
is properly cultivated and something
put on to feed the plants.
have long ago learned that the rail
road companies charge all the freight
that traffic can bear, and that is one
reason why Southern dairy farmers
should raise all they use, having the
facilities and also the market for their
butter. Very trulY.-W. H. Be1G9gGS9-
ger, Wal111ttpOTt, Pa, Dec. 10, 1891.