Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-10-02

COWS are fastened while being MIXED
and fed their grain. He claimed that
the COWS were more contented when
allowed to be loose: and under such
conditions always gave better results.
The stall is bedded with straw to the
depth of over q foot. This deep bed
ding preserves the liquid manure,
which is the most valuable part of the
manure. Every morning and evening
the manure is turned under the straw.
The stall is cleaned out once month
and the manure is applied as top
dressing. The rains in the spring can
then wash the manure into the soil.
The humus, or rotting vegetable mat
ter, remains to be turned under by
blowing: BY allowing it to. be parti-
ally rotted on the surface it will not
make the soil too loose and prevent
the subsoil moisture from rising to the
roots OF the crops, as it will do if
turned under before being decom-
posed.
In reply to a question regarding the
best tame grasses for this state, Mr..
Gregg stated that he believed Bromus
Inermus to be the coming forage plant
for the west. It gives big crop of
grass, has deep roots that cannot be
affected by an ordinary drouth.
Glover and timothy are unreliable in
this climate. Rape is excellent for
sheep, and 50 is green rye, but both
are liable to faint the milk if fed to
COWS.
S. M. Owen was called upon for
speech. He responded by telling the
audience that he could testify that
what Gregg had just told them was
what he had done on his farm under
the most unfavorable circumstances.
Mr.. Gregg's farm is situated on the
Coteau hills, exposed to the scorching
southeast winds. Yet the trees,
orchard and vegetable garden were
the finest Mr.. Owen had ever seen.
Prof. T. L. Hacker, of the state ex-
perimental farm, spoke as follows:
We have heard great deal about
Minnesota proud rank among the
dairying states, and we are liable to
be pulled up with pride. Now, that is
a very dangerous feeling. When an
individual or community or nation
becomes proud of its position it is
liable to stop there and contemplate
it past achievements, instead of look
ing forward to see what new achieve
ments it can make. We can't stand
still; we must either progress or re-
trograde. Now, I propose to tell you
something that will show we are far
from doing what we might do, in spite
of the $4,000 COWS whose milk is taken
to the creameries, and 300, 09Ofor dairy
use. The creamery COWS average per
year 3, 200 pounds Of milk and from
40 to 135 pounds of butter. Is this
all they are capable of doing? We
have at the state farm herd of COWS
of whose products we have kept &C.
curate records for the past ten years.
Every milking is weighed and tested,
so that we know exactly what every
COW produces. Not only this, but we
know exactly what it costs US to keep
them. For every dollar expended dur
ing these ten years this herd has
brought in from $3.50 to $500. Do
you ever keep an account with your
COWS to see if they pay expenses? If
they don't bring in any more than
what you could have sold the feed for
in the markets you have lost your
labor. The COWS in this herd have
produced about $50 pounds of butter
per year. You say those are high
grade stock. Well, we have herd of
common COWS of which accurate re-
cords have been kept for 26 years.
They have averaged 5000 pounds of
milk and 200 pounds of butter per
year for each COW. Just think; the
average COW on the farm produces
200 pounds of milk and 100 pounds
of butter; our COWS of no better breed
rproduce 5000 pounds of milk and 29O
pounds of butter. There are $50, 1000
creamery COWS; the loss is 100 pounds
per COW. At Is cents per pound that
means for each COW $24, and for all
SO, 400, 900. Why can we get more than
twice as much out of each COW? There
is no great secret about it. It is only
kind treatment and careful feeding.
A COW in order to do it's best must be
contented. To get her so it is neces-
sary that the farmer and his helpers
be on terms of the most intimate
friendship with the animals. If you
see the COWS get out of the way of the
farmer when he goes into the yard you
can depend on that they are not treated
80 as to give the best results. We
make pets of all the COWS and make
them feel comfortable. In this wav
we have no trouble in milking them.
You can't get all the milk out of a.
COW If you whack her with the milk
stool once in while. In the second
place we feed each COW according to
the work she is doing. These years
of experimenting have enabled us to
determine an accurate rule for feeding
grain. Feed three parts of corn to
five of ground oats or bran. OF this
mixture give one pound for each three
pounds OF milk yielded by the COW.