Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-12-23
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No department of the farm is more
important than that which is con-
cerned with the care of the dairy
Therefore, all sensible suggestions Or
the care of mich COWS are welcome to
the thoughtful farmer, and such will
approve the following. from the editor
of Wallace's Farmer, on the question
of getting good mixers. He says:
"Inasmuch as the quantity and
quality of milk have everything to do
with the profitableness of dairying,
one OF the most important questions
for the farmer to decide is: Where
IAN l get COWS giving large quantity
of milk? There are but two ways Of
getting them; one by purchasing and
the other by growing them yourself.
The man who starts out to buy high
class mich COWS in any country will
learn wisdom very fast. He will soon
discover that the man who is &C
uuainted with his business does not
sell this kind of COWS until their day
Of usefulness is past. He is not wise
he does not, after all, understand his
business When a man offers to sell
a cow that promises to be good
mixer, for any reasonable price, the
buyer is likely to discover one of two
Or three things; either that she de-
ceives her look, or that she has some
secret fault which will be discovered
only after purchase. Of course, there
are times when a very sharp dairyman
can purchase good COWS, but he will
Lave to buy them from men who do
not understand their business, and
With whom the possession of q COW of
this kind is an accident; or, perhaps
IL the purchase of a dozen or more he
may find one or two that are up to his
requirements. When he counts the
time and money that he spends in ex-
perimenting in this way he will be
very apt to come to the conclusion
that the cheapest way, after all, is to
grow his own mixers.
HE has several advantages in this
method; one is that he can control the
oASSuiAS eSAo uud lcll 60 SCOpE Ill ILLS
for the exercise of his brains. Milking
qualities are hereditary, and the
keifer calf whose sire's dam and
granddam were good mixers, and
whose dam is a good mixer, will be
good mixer too. Herein comes the
sc cond opportunity for the exercise of
his brains. 1t is possible to take a
heifer calf, well born, with strong in
herited ten 1encies toward heavy milk
ing, and by feeding on beef methods |
diminish her milking capacity, al |
though it is scarcely possible to obliter-
ate it altogether. If, therefore, you
want good mixers, buy when you
can, which it not often; breed as a rule |
with care and judgment, and feed for |
milk instead of beef. The heifer in
tended for the dairy should not have
the same treatment in feeding as the |
heifer intended for calf production
only, or that the steer intended for the |
shambles requires. She should not |
be allowed to get fat at any time; at |
least not fatter than good grass will |
make her. She should be bred early |
and produce the first calf when from |
twenty to twenty-four months old, |
and should then be MIXED during the |
first term as long as possible, in order
tC establish the habit of long and con-
tiruous milking. This is the only way
we know to secure herd of first-class
mixers.