The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-09-14
IS 1T THE cow OR TIE FOOD ?

IS 1T THE cow OR TIE FOODP
On page Ala in the issue of July 9th,
we inserted a short paragraph at the
head OF the column, from Prof. Jordan,
under the caption, lis 1t the Cow or
the Food?" says Hoard's Dairyman.
That short paragraph contains the
very essence of true doctrine for the
guidance of every dairy farmer in the
land. It is because so many farmers
do not understand this doctrine, or do
not believe 1t, that they make so little
profit. 1t is too bad that such q host
OF men waste all their lives, as thew do.
with COWS and lie down in their graves
at last with but little, if any, reward
for long life of toll and care. 1t isall
because they are trusting their fortune
to tals9hOOd. They put their chief
reliance in the feed. Tney pay but lit
tie attention to the reaI quality Of the
COW. Because they pay so little etten.
tion, they are making scarcely anv
effort to improve the quality of their
COWS. Can we suppose a farmer really
believes in good qlality, when we see
him go along for years making no sort
OF intelligent effort at improving the
breeding of his cowe7 If he really be-
lieVed that his profits depended mostly
on the quality of his COWS, would we
not see him putting the best dairy bull
he can find at the head of his herd9 OF
course we would. Would a farmer
who believes this doctrine, breed from
grade bull3 OF course not. Would
such farmer make 10 effort to test
his COWS year after year, when it costs
so little money to purchase a Babcock
test machines OF course not. Would
such farmer who believes in this doc,
trine go into>t the market and buy poor,
worthless scrub COWS rather than make
some effort to raise good COWS from
good, we'll established dairy blood9
Hardly, we think. What is the reason
that so many farmers pay no attention
to this matter of improving the quality
Of their coWs9 Because they do not
believe in the doctrine that it is the
quality Of the COW, rather than the
food, which makes the profit We
judge of men by their actions. When
we see farmer put cheap, grade bull
at the head Of herd, we feel certain that
he don't understand the value of thor
oughbred blood, and for that reason
don't believe in it. We know hundreds
| OF farmers who will feed costly food in
abundance to worthless COWS at a steady
lJss. II they knew better, would they
not try to do beGter3 If they believed
in the policy Of thoroughbred blood,
would we not see them making some
effort to buy DULL Of that charRcter9
Would they go along as contented as a
kitten in a warm nest, losing money,
ard wasting good, costly food on poor
cows9 To suppose this, is absurd.
What then must we suppOse9 This and
only this: That they have never edu-
Gated themselves to right understand
ing of dairy COW, and how to breed
her so as to improve her quality, and
by that make the food they invest in
the COW more and more profitable.
In this city there lives retired dairy
farmer, who ran along for years with a
herd of grade Short horn COWS. He
kept buying bulls OF that breed, and
after wasting several years in the at
tempt to make money in that way, he
concluded that his ideas. were wrong.
The best he could get out of his herd
Yves $50 pounds Of butter Of butter a
year. He took right about face, and
bought the best Jersey bull he could
get for 5000. TIE daughters Of this bull.
when they came into full production
averaged over $50 pounds Of butter
apiece, and the granddaughters aver
aged over 300 pounds. That man
showed that he believed that it was the
COW, not the food, that determined the
profit. o. course he was q liberal
feeder, but only to good COWS. Thatis
the roed to travel, that is the doctrine,
for every man who is depending on
COWS, to believe in and practice. Only
in this way can the improvement in
our COWS come. It cannot come by
feeding; it must come through feeding.
Registered bulls in all dairy breeds can
be bought cheaply, and none other
should be used by any man who wishes
to improve his herd and increase his
profits.