Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1896-11-04
THE DAIRY HERD.
The Herd the Foundation to a
Creamery.
HoW to Make the Cow Profitable
to the Farmer.

GU VI Iul' IL M DAAOJ1 OuUIOAhAHN
of the Morris Creamery Association
we will be able to give the farmers
who are interested in the dairy bust
ness and others an article on dairying
occasionally through the winter. We
commence this week with an impor
tant article on the dairy herd, which
we have no doubt will be read with
interest by all farmers.
The herd is the foundation, anC
without a good foundation no kind Of
bushes can prosper or be permanently
successful. If we build our Foundation
with COWS that have a capacity to
make no more than $50 pounds OF
butter per annum, we shall make a
miserable failure of dairying. We
must have cows that will produce,
with intelligent feeding and care,
sufficient to pay for feed and labor
aud leave a balance for profit. When
we cannot accomplish this, there is
something wrong with us and we
need to commence with ourselves,
taking time to do some intelligent
planning of ouc work. Who but our
selves is to blame for our keeping I'M
profitable COWS? Are we excusable in
this progressive age, for not knowing
whether our COWS are paying profit
or net2 And when the dairy, as a
whole, isproftable, is it good business
when we do not know what COWS are
the profit, which are making no profit,
and which are making loss? Be-
fore the introduction of the Babcock
test there was some excuse for dairy
man not knowing what his individual
COWS were producing, but now there
is no excuse whatever for this condi-
ton, as we have simple au thorough
ly reliable way of testing the cows.
A person with average intelligence
can learn to operate the Babcock test
in a very short time. A machine of
sufficient size for a dairy can be
bought for SIS to $40.
Now, having the cows and the Bah
cock testing machine, let us give each
COW name or, what is better, num-
Der on tag in the ear. Then we
want scales of some kind to weigh
the milk. Make a record of each
milking, for three days and take
sample of about one ounce of milk
from each milking and put into
small bottle---an eight ounce bottle
will answer very we'll. When a COW
is MIXED, pour the milk from one
pail into another three times, to get
it thoroughly mixed before taking the
sample to put in the bottle. Keep
this bottle in cool place to prevent
the milk souring before it is tested.
When the weather is warm it is safer
to use some preparation to prevent
the samples souring. Bichromate of
potash will accomplish this very nices
lY by the use of quantity the size of
G. small pea in each bottle. It can be
procured from druggist and should
be puiverized. At the end of three
days work out the test, which will
give you the percentage of fat in
each cows milk. The percentage of
fat, weight of milk produced, null
tiplied together, will give us the total
fat produced by the different COWS.
To the fat add one-eight, or II per
cent, and we shall have very close
estimate of the butter each COW will
have made, if we have done intelli-
gent work in handling the milk and
cream from the cow to the finished
butter.
Do not be discouraged by anything,
81 ANYBODY from undertaking this test
work as it is the only practical way
you can learn what each cow is MAX
ing. There is no more reason for
keeping a COW, that will no more
than pay for her feed, than there is
keeping a hired man who can no more
than pay for his board. When prop
erly fed and cared for COW that does
not produce 200 pounds of butter an
nually, should be sold as soon as pos
sible. Heifers, or young cows that
have not reached maturity, we must
use Judgment about; not be too hasty
in condeming heifer with her first or
second calf.
In case a person is starting new in
the dairy work and his COWS to pur-
chase, I would recommend the COWS
to be tested before they are bought
and buy only such as produce sufi-
cent to make them profitable. The