Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1900-08-10

began to prevail. Then came the es-
tablishment of 'creameries' and the
improvement of the breed of dairy cat
tie. When the improvement of the ma
tive stock of cattle began, Il COW that
would give milk that would make n
pound of butter a day for two or three
months was Il local celebrity. AS late
as 1860, when good COWS sold for $40
or less, an enterprising farmer in New
England advertised widely that lie
would pay 500 for any COW that would
yield fifty pounds of milk day on his
farm for two or three consecutive days.
Not an animal was offered on those
conditions. Nowadays a COW that does
not average from six to seven quarts
of milk day for 300 days-being 1000
to 1900 pounds a year-is not consid-
cred profitable. There are many herds
having an average yearly product of
5000 pounds COW, and single animals
are many which give ten or twelve
times their own weight in milk during
| the year. The quality of the milk has
improved so much that the milk of one
COW now will make as much butter as
did the milk Of three or four of the old
native animals.
Proiigies.
Though the old native stock was a
pretty tough and disreputable race of
cows, there would appear once in a
while in it a prodigy. Such was the
| famous "Oakes cow of Massachusetts,
which aslonished the world, in 1916.
by giving fortyfour POUNDS of milk Il
day, out of which was made I6I pounds
of butter in one season. This ostenta-
tiOus COW did this when her friends anf,
neignDors were prouu they produced
sixty pounds of butter year. 1t made
| her famous, and she had her picture
painted in oil, but none of her de-
scendants took after her, and she was
regarded as a freak.
Nowadays the Oakes COW would be
regarded as good cow-nothing more.
The Shortholn breed led in the intro
duction of improved cattle into the
United States and formed the founda-
| ton upon which many fine dairy herds
were built. They were brought from
England, and much of the Shortlorn
| blood can still be found in prosperous
dairy districts throughout the United
| States. Soon. however, they began to
breed the ShorthornS for their beef
| qualities, and now few full-blooded
| Shorthorns are classed as dairy cattle.
Ayrshires from Scotland Holstein-
Friesians from Holland and Jerseys
and Guernseys from the Channel
Islands were then brought in, and
upon animals graded and improved
from these breeds the vast dairy indus.
try of the country now mainly depends
The Ayrshires and HolSteins are great
milk givers, and the JERSEYS anC
Guernseys (often miscalled Alderneys
are great butter makers. Brown Swiss
and Simmenthan cattle from Swltzer
land, the Normandy breed from France
and red-polled cattle from the south OF
England have also been imported. but
are in what is known TO dairymen as
the general purpose class" They arc
pretty good in everything, but have nc
specialties.
1t used to be believed that successful
dairying could be carried OH only in the
United States in belt lying between
the latitude of Philadelphia and the lati
tude of the northern boundary of Yer
mont and extending as far west as the
Missouri River. Even i'm that belt il
was believed that the true dairying dis
tricts were in detached sections which
did not occupy more than one-third of
its area. This idea has been exploded
1t has been found that good butter and
cheese can be made in almost all parts