The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1900-01-17
BRECKENRIDGE NEWS.
TESTED HIS cows
IN ZERO WEATHER
The Owner of the Lakeland Dairy
Farm Proves His Principles and
Takes Scattering Comments.

The farm institutes are now over for
this winter, and, as IL was the main OBJ.
ject to get or bring out the everyday
methods OF practical farmers and TO hear
exactly what the results were, it seems
to me that IL might be interesting and
profitable If farmers would follow up
these meetings with plain and correct re-
ports of their farm operations or OF some
special line, say as regards cattle, sheep,
hogs, poultry, wheat or corn. In a word,
II you have anything that is worth tell
ing and you know that you have been
particular as regards data or the minute
details without any guess work, then re-
port it. But il GU have to guess at part
of it and stretch the thing in order to
Guido some one else, then do remain
quiet. We want the facts, and often
times our neighbors failures or our own
mistakes are valua' lie object lesson to ".
But l started out to report the actual
performance If my little dairy herd.
4NOns hhOW luli wei ludl tuc udlI1 III
no way interests ninety mine out of
hundred Kentuckians, but it is my sheet
anchor aud mainsail Qf sail at all.
want to take the advantage of this hard
spell of weather to make my test, lest
some one should say that made my test
when things were in the most favorable
condition possible, and consequently de-
clare it not fair test.
was about to forget the most impor-
tant thing, which is this: l make no
claim to having the best cows in the
country. do not claim that this test is
at all extraordinary, for half the people
who read this report will! say that his
COW can beat it. NV consolation is in
remembering the language of David Of
old, "All men are liars."
My little herd OF workers numbers ff-
teen; nine are aged COVE, while six are
only two-year.od heifers. These COWS
have been fresh or giving milk from two
TO FIVE months at the time of the test
Four OF these COWS carry Holstein or
Shorthorn or scrub stock, while the
eleven remaining are Of the Jersey stock
and sired by grandson OF Imported Tor.
mentor.
No extra pre- paration whatever was
given the COWS before this test; in fact,
the test was not thought of until the day
it was begun.
But the morning Of December 81, 1899,
when the mercury was within six de-
Rrees of zero by the government Their
mometer, decided to weigh the milk
morning and night and see how much
milk the fifteen COWS would give, and
then churn it separately, ard see how
much butter it would make after it wss
sailed and worked, ready for market
Then We concluded 10 make it two.
days test and selected the next day,
which was January !, 1900
The mercury was still in ten degrees
OF zero, and Of course some shriDksge in
milk was unavoidable.
The total yield Of milk OF fifteen cows
for the two days was GOO pounds, which
is ~ gallons. This 600 POUNDS Of milk
made exactly So pounds OF worked but
ter, which IS one pound of butter for
every two gallons OF milk, or six pounds
OF butter per 100 pounds OF milk, OF ! / |
pounds of butter per COW per day. con-
slider this doing fairly well, considering
the weather at the time of test, together
with no preparation Of the herd and the
fact that six of the herd are eal-old
heifers. This butter was sold at % cents
net, which would credit each COW with
20 cents per day for butter The daily
ration for each COW is shown below, with
cost OF same, which is less than l21 cents
per day per COW, valuiDg ensilage at 81 |
per ton, clover hay IS per ton, bran Sl4
and cotton-seed meal at 500 per ton