The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-11-15
SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE
SEASON.

4HC DGOSEOEE4NO 10 04NA SAOuAO
always be alive to whatever will tend
70 Improvement in his herd and in
creased returns from the same. In pre-
pairing the herd for winter a careful
survey should be made with the view
of wedding out any poor or unprotit
able animals.
Taken for granted that the dairy
man has been doing his best in select
ing, breeding and caring for the herd,
yet hardly ever q eason passes when
from some cause or other there will not
be more or lees of trouble or failure
with COWS, rendering it necessary that
change should be made to keep it in
the best working condition.
Cows, however good, will grow old
and must in time be replaced. Some
will last longer than others, but after a
certain age they are liable to fail sud
denly-perhaps after being Wintered
through-and prov a total loss.
Sometimes theEo will be trouble with
the udder or teats-particularly where
high feeding is practiced-and if a COW
is very much inclined this way, it will
be better to get rid of her than be tn
der the necessity of treating her fer
the difficulty, usually with the result
of partial or entire failure in the end.
Then there are healthy COWS but un-
profitable to keep, either because they
give too little milk or that which is
poor in quality, or perhaps are disposed
to go dry too long. Now here is where
accurate tests should be made to de.
termine the matter. Bat some good
Judgment will be needed here in order
to prevent mistakes from being made.
It will not be cafe to rely either on the
test for quality Of milk, Or the amount
alone. For instance a COW may give a
comparatively small yield of milk, but
from it's superior richness and the
habit OF holding out, may really be
more valuable than another that would
give a much larger amount, but Of a
poorer quality.
Again a COW may test quite low 10
butter fat and still be such a good
mixer that it will fully make up for
the lack of richness end be a profitable
animal to keep. The B4bcock test and
the scales will deter mine this matter
much more definitely than can be done
in any other practical way.
Here is an item from a fan N journal
that will throw come light on this
point. In many common dairies an
expert Idge will fad COWS capable of
producing 10 900 pounds Of milk in a
year, but the owner does know which
COW it is. The writer once bought a
COW that gave over 10, 600 pounds of
good milk the first year. This milk at
81 per hundred pounds brought over
S1OO."
OF course these are exceptional COWS
in yield of milk, and more so if of aver
age quality, but it shows that without
some kidd of means for determining
the individual merit of COWS, very
many farmers would be at a loss as to
which are their best or poorest ami
mails.
Now in case farmers in a community
patroniz q creamery or cheese factory
where tue milk is paid for according
to test, there is a chance for misunder-
standing and perhaps dissatisfaction,
from the want of a little knowledge or
calculation. For instance farmer AS
cows-perbaps Jerseys-give rich milk
and it goes we'll up in test. Farmer B
has what he calls a good herd of an
other breed, or perhaps common stock,
but the test is considerably lower than
his neighbors. and forthwith he con
dennis the test and is dissatisfied with
the results altogether.
The test is all right in determining
the merits Of individual cows-along
with the scales-and to form a basis
for the payment of milk but in j1dg
ing of the comparative erits of differ
ent diaries OF herds, the monthly re.
turns are a better guide. Here Mr..
BIS COWS may go ahead of Mr.. as, as
has not frl quently been the case, heDce
when rightly understood he has no
cause for complaint, but rather Of
satisfaction at the result. Here is
where a little knowledge would be Of
use and save trouble.
Again a dairy may make a large
showing during the best of the season,
then go rapidly down the scale and dry
eff early, while another of moderate
milking capacity will hold ous" 80
determinedly that it will come in ahead
OF the other at the end of year.
The aim should be to get the best
possible herd Ct whatever breed il NAV