The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1904-01-19
STARTING A DAIRY FARM

L nave just received a letter from a young man
In this State who wishes to start a dairy farm of
his own. He says he is near a town that will read
lily support two good dairies, but so far there is
none. He has no money, but owns a separator and
is interested in d~airying. He can rent land at five
or SIX dollars an acre, and buy good COWS at
$50 each. He has faith in the dairy, and prefers
that business to growing cotton. He asks if he
shall take a position at some place and earn a few
hundred dollars before he begins the business for
himself, or shall he begin at once and do the best
he can. How l enjoy to get a letter like this one!
L can say right now that this young man is going
to succeed. l have given these facts to the reader
because it is a fair example of a good many let
tiers that come to me. In the first place, l believe
this young man will be wise to begin the business
at once. / do not want him to think for a moment
that he is obliged to go off and earn some money
before he starts in business for himself. I think
1t best to arrange right now and start in on a
small scale. He has several things to do. He
most get his COWS, and build up d trade and raise
some feed. Now, it doesn't take a lot of money
to do this, and then there is a happy feature
about dairying that applies to no other business,
which is this-the very first day that a COW is pur-
chased, she begins to bring in money. I think
our young man can easily arrange to get one COW
when she costs only thirty dollars. Now we will
assume that this first month she will give three
gallons of milk daily; that is twenty-four pounds,
which should retail at four cents per pound, or
ninety-six cents per day; and thirty days would
mean $3.50. Now, some COWS will do better than
this, and there are many places that milk will sell
for more than l have suggested here; and at the
end of the first months the receipts will be sufici-
ent to purchase another COW. Also this will give
our young man time to secure more customers and
he can take care of two COWS, and at the end of
the second month he will receive enough money
from the sale of the milk to purchase a couple
more COWS. and so on. Now it doesn't take long
in this way to get a head of eight or ten, or a
dozen COWS. The income with this number is
large, and still one man can readily milk and feed
a dozen cows and sell and deliver the milk.
Now you ask: Where did the feed come from?
You paid for the COWS, but not the feed, you say.
Well, now, let US remember we had but one COW
the first month and it required only three or four
dollars for this. Besides the labor necessary for
the care of a single cow was not much, and there
was a good deal of time to spare; sufficient in
every respect to earn, at odd times, enough not
only for feeding that single cow that first month,
but also to feed two COWS the second month; and
so on with the feed. The manure that will be
made will be a good bottom for some forage crops
that can be planted at once. And so planting can
go on month after month during nearly every
month of the coming year; and with these crops
coming in, there is a diminishing cost in the feed
bill.
Now about the land: It can be rented for five
or six dollars per acre. Well, that means this land
is worth about SIS per acre, if that rent is
charged. If it is, it is good land. l should prefer
to buy ten or fifteen acres to be paid for in a year
say. Now you think, my reader, we are "way off"
Onlv ten or fifteen acres. Well, l know one dairy