The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-02-22
PROF. RMRRY's WRRKLY LET.
TER,
prepared Especially for THH PROGRESSIVE
FARMER.1

prepared Especially for The PROGRESSIVE
FARNERl
We begin this week to give the read
ers OF The PROGRESSIVE FARMER some
of the ideas we have concerning dairy
ing for North Carolina. This we con.
ceive to be branch of farming capable
OF considerable development with little
risk Of overpY oducbion. Itcan be used
by corn growers as we'll as cotton
growers, to help piece out the income,
and relieve them from an entire de
pendence on the main staple for the
means of subsistence. By this means
some Of the working force and capital
will be diverted to new channels. A
new order of things must necessarily
be established since there will be COWS
to feed and milk, forage crops must be
grown, and there must be more con
siderstion given to the milk producing
machine. There is said to be certain
balance in nature. The rivers can
carry no more water out to sea than
the clouds bring back and return to the
land. The carbon dioxide breathed out
by animals would smother the animals
in comparatively short time were it
not for the plants which use it up from
the air about as fast as 1t is returned
by animals and decompositious of
plant remains. The heat given OF by
fire under boiler has its effect in
work done and we may in a rough way
liken these TO our own work with ami
mails. The feed given the mule may be
looked for in work, and that fed the
COW will likewise return its value first
in supporting the vital processes of the
animal and in motion. lastly in produc
tion of work by the mule and also in
modified way by production of milk by
the COW. The animal is born with
certain Limitation as regards the food
it can consume and the amount of work
it is capable OF performing after its life
functions have been satisfied. Do We
get as much from the mule, or the GOV
as they are capable OF producing for
us9 Do we try to see how little we can
put into the animal3 If 50, we must
expect but little work, and that our
stewardship has result to belittle the
earning capacity of the animal and
probably shorten its life. Do we over
feed and thus cause too much internal
work at great expense to US in external
or profitable work for ourselvesI We
are discussing the mule and the COW
with regard to the amount of food they
are able to use and turn to profitable
egccunt above what is required for
for internal work, and whether we pre-
sent our stock with proper supply of
the right kinds for obtaining the best
results for ourselves. Any one who
pleases can make the application to
himself and discuss with himself
whether he feeds himself for the ex-
ternal work he wishes to do, so there
may be a harmony in the balance and
the external work we'll accomplished
will be satisfactory to himself. The
digestive apparatus of the mule and
COW must be well nigh perfect to give
us profitable production in blowing
and in milk production. There must
be high degree of animal comfort in
the latter case before much work will
be done as every other essential bit of
internal and external work will be pro
vided for first and milk making will
only be accorded about what there is |
left over of the food consumed.
So we shall find an abundant food
supply essential. 1t must be of an ap |
petizipg character and it must have
such an effect physically as to nourish
the animal keep the digestive apparatus
in good order and supply all the ele
ments needed to produce an abundance
of material for milk, else there will be
no, or only q very little milk.
Milk must be produced to do any
thing in dairying. Milk for the dairy
must come from COWS In this State as
we do not raise any of the other species
which have furnished their milk to the
human family in numbers TO be used
to any extent. There are perhaps few
who use goats milk, but we
never hear of goats milk butter, or
cheese here. We do hear and know OF