The Southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1895-1909, 1902-08-15
DA|RY|NG IN
The SOUTH
WOM

w nile Wnat were once suppl
sed to be disadvantages in dairy
ny undertakings in the South
aave passed, that industry is still
lnimportant in many parts, not
because of any natural dlsadvan-
yes, but because few farmers
have practical familiarity with
TIE formation, the management
aud the feeding of the herd and
ne handling of its products
t'or the purpose of revealing
possibilities, presenting facts
bout such work and suggesting
PRACTICAL details necessary to be
known for the success of every
.alry, MIR. >. M. Tracy, formerly
director of the Mississippi agri-
cultural experiment station, has
prepared for the National Depart
ment of Agriculture Farmers
Bulletin No. Isl. In it he says {:
1.-THE first and most important
natural advantage of the South
for profitable dairying Is it's eli
mate, which makes 1t possible to
have good grazing on fresh pas
lures from nine to twelve months
Of every year. The least expen-
sive fee for the maintenance of
any animal is that which is gath
red by grazing. 1t is impossi-
BILE to secure a full flow of milk
from COW which does not have
fresh and succulent food from
fresh pastures, soiling crops,
root crops or the soil, and the
best of these is fresh pastures.
Natural pastures of Bermuda
grass, lespedeza and other plants
are abundant and good through
the summer. Cow peas and sor-
ghum will carry the cows through
me tall drought in a constantly
improving condition, and by De-
cember winter eats, vetches and
crimson clover afford rich grazing
which lasts until the natural
grasses begin their spring
growth. In no other part of the
country is it possible to secure
good grazing through so great a
part of the year at so little cost.
"The mild winters make 1t un-
necessary to provide expensive
buildings for protection from
cold. Of course, protection from
rain should be given, but the
double walls, stone easements
andswarmed drinking water so
desirable IN a colder climate are
not needed where the temporal
ture rarely falls to zero and
where there are from eight to
ten months without even a frost.
The increase in the amount of
fooo needed simply to sustain an
imal heat in a region where the
winter temperature ranges from
20 to 80 degrees F. lower, as it
does in most of the prominent
dairy sections of the country, is
no small item in the cost of main
tenance, and in those sections
there is always a marked de-
crease in the flow of milk when
ever additional feed is needed for
warmth. The more mild the
winter the less will be the total
amounts both of forage and
grain needed for the support of
the animal. Tuberculosis, which
has become so prevalent and des-
tructive in the colder dairy sec
tons, is seldom encountered
south of the Texas fever Quar-
antlne line. Texas fever affects
from north of the quar-
antlne line, but proper precau-
tons will reduce the loss from
that disease to not more than 5
per cent.
''1n nearly every part of the
South there is good home mar
ket for all dairy products. and
the demand will be far bevond
the supply fer many years to
come. In nearly all parts of the
Calf States the retail price of
milk is from thirty to fortv cents