The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-09-01
Is 1t the Cow or the Food +?

That short heading contains the
very essence of true doctrine for the
guidance of every dairy farmer in the
land. 1t is because so many farmers
do not understand this doctrine, or do
not believe in it, that they make 80 lit
tie profit. 1t is too bad that such a
host of men waste all their lives, as
they 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 is all because they are trust
ing their fortune to fasehood. They
put their chief reliance in the feed.
They pay but little attention to the
real quality Of the COW. Because they
pay so little attention, they are making
scarcely any effort to improve the quail
ity of their cows. Can we suppose
farmer really believes in good quality,
when we see him going along for years
making no sort of intelligent effort at
improving the breeding of his cows? If
he really believed that his profits de-
pended 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 herd? OF course we would.
Would farmer who believes in this
doctrine, breed from grade bull? Of
course not Would such farmer
make no effort to test his cows year af-
ter year, when it costs so little money
to purchase a Babcock test machinep
OF course not. Would such farmer
who believes in this doctrine go into
the market and buy poor, worthless
scrub COWS rather than make some eff
fort to raise good COWS from good, we'll
established dairy blood? Hardly, we
think. What is the reason that 80
many farmers pay no attention to this
matter of improving the quality of
their COWS? Because they do not be-
lieve in the doctrine that it is the quail
ity 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 his 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 hum
dreds of farmers who will feed costly
food in abundance to worthless COWS at
steady loss. If they knew better,
would they not try to do better? If
they believed in the policy of thorough
bred blood, would we not see them
making some effort tC buy bull of that
character? Would they 60 along as
contented as kitten il warm nest,
losing money, and wasting good, cost
ly food on poor cows? To suppose this,
is absurd. What then must we sup
pose? This and only this: That they
have never educated themselves to a
right understanding 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 a retired far
mer, 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 bis ideas were wrong.
The best he could get out of his herd
was $50 pounds of butter a year. He
took a right about face, and bought the
best jersey bull he could get for 5000.
The daughters of this bull, when they
came into full production averaged
over $50 pounds of butter apiece, and
the granddaughter averaged over 300
pounds. That man showed that he be-
lieved that it was the COW, not the food,
that determined the profit OF course
he was liberal feeder, but only to
good COWS. That is the road 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 i'm.
provement in our cows come. 1t can
not come by feeding; it must come
through breeding. Registered bulls in
all dairy breeds can be bought cheaply
and none other should be used by any
man who wishes to improve his hero
and Increase his profits. - Hoard'E
Dairyman