Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-05-08

j.,
To California diaries. 1t was an able ex-
Il position of existing conditions among Cal
ifornia dairies, and brought out the tact
that with proper care and scientinc dairy
ing the business in this state will go far
ahead of that in California, says the Ia
. coma Ledger. Mr.. Cheal said In part:
"In the first place large majority OF
the dairymen or California come from
4 the southern part OF Europe ana are
largely composed of immigrants from the
Italian speaking districts of Switzerland
While they are a very frugal and indus
d trious class Of people, they are not "a
reading or progressive people in any sense
!. of the word, and carry on their business
in very primitive and haphazard style,
The ranges on which a majority of the
diaries are run are generally rolling lano
to mountainous, and the grasses are of
very nutritious kind, alflleria and burr
clover. The feed commences to grow
Immediately after the first soaking rain
which usually comes in November, but
1t frequently happens that little or no
rain falls till February. or only enough
n to ruin what old dry feed there may bt
in the hills without replacing it by new
grass. Comparatively little provision Is
made for these short feed periods, and
when they do come the products of the
California diaries are very much dirnln-
&ished.'
Mr.. Cheal then described the variable
eness of the climate, and told of one long
February rain, during which many CATH
died. He said: They We're weakened By
semi during the short feed
time and hadn't stamina enough to stanG
the effects of the two weeks storm, which,
was followed by very cold weather.
THE SHORT SEASON.
Continuing, he said: 1.-The provision
made by dairymen for the short season
lis much scantier than it should be, and
amounts to a few acres of barley for hay
kand patch of corn for green fodder.
{Cow barns are almost unknown, all the
shelter the cattle get being in the gulches
and in the timber and 1 have seen enough
dead COWS in the gulches on a ranch to
i pay for putting up barn sufficiently ca
.pacious to shelter the rest
Further, he said: THAT dairying m
der such conditions should have paid is a
.marvel to the uninitif led, but they were
in position to say to the commission
smen, Take my butter at Is cents pound
or 1 will pickle 1t and get % cents in the
Summer, as f. H. Burke says in his let
ter published in the April issue of the
Pacific Coast Dairyman. The question
NATURALLY arises, why the dairymen dc
mot take advantage of more improved
methods and build shelter for their stock
and put up feed for winter use The ans
wer to this is that 95 per cent at leas
are renters and the owners do not seem
=. to have awakened to the fact of the ne
cessity of keeping up with the times. ana
hot hiatt tod 6Nf1 will
than balance the cost of the original out
lay by a saving in the loss of stock and
an increased flow during the season OF
high prices. During the long dry season
the cattle feed on the sun-cured grass.
which is very fattening, and gradually
put on flesh at the expense of the pail,
the butter supply shortens and prices I'D
Vance. This subject is probably one thai
can be studied with a good deal of profit
n by this association, as it seems to be d
fact that the markets in this state arc
largely affected by the importations OF
california butter and will continue to be
SO more and more as the more progress.
I've eastern states are crowding the eX
ported California article. 1t would there
fore seem to be the logical conclusion
that when California has a good, flush
season, more of the production will SO
abroad seeking a market outside of the
Estate, and when the short seasons come
the effect will be the reverse. The sea-
|son this year from present indications is
VERY short, and is further damaged by
5drying winds, which parch up the moist
ure rapidly and dry up the feed, so that ii
would seem that butter this year will
hold it's own firmly from the month oil
May on, gathering firmness as the season
advances, and the theory evolved in this
article will to large extent stand on the
butter quotations during the next two
months. This paper may be the means of
answering the inquiry in many minds as
4 to the great fluctuation in the supply of
California dairy products, and may be
the means of showing the dairymen of
this state the advantage of having their
flush season during the early fall or sum
mer and winter"
ARE NON-PROGRESSIVE
Still further, Mr.. Cheal said:
"In saying that the California dairyman
. was non-progressive have the support
s of the leading journals of that state, the
San Francisco Chronicle, whose agricult-
( ural editor tried manfully to plant the
+ seed, in the shape of a dairy school, for
"A reaping a harvest of qualified dairymen,
. Out MS EFFORTS were nll ana ne nnlSned
up his remarks by stating that it appears
that the boys of that state do not seem
Inclined to attend a school for the pur-
pose Of fitting themselves to undertake
positions requiring actual labor. The i'm
I pressions and conclusions that dairymen
of this state have come to consider are
the effect of the California productions on
Il the markets here. the quality of such pro-
auctions and the best means of compel
ing with them. California has great ed
vantage in being able 10 have, during a
goodly average of the seasons, plentiful
supply of green food. grown spontaneous
3 ly on her hills during the winter months,
n and If the same care were taken there to
supplement the dry feed during the sum-
mer and fall by the planting of beets, CO r
f rots and other suceulent crops, together
4 with enough hay, and at the same time
care for and shelter their COWS as the
more progressive eastern dairymen are
doing, there is no reason why she should
not be the banner dairy state of the I'm
ion. That she is not is mainly due, be
lieve, to the manner in which the industry
is carried on, the lack of scientific knowl