Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-03-26
FARMERANDP PLANTER.
DAIRYING IN THE SOUTH.
A Line of Farm Industry That 10 n
Constant source Of Ready
Cash Income.


The farmer OF the old south detest-
ed the idea of churning-except when
done by the old black nanny or some
Of the children. The farmers wife
dreaded the daily routine of churning
with its problems of 'foaming milk
white butter and cleaning pans, cans
and crooks. While making "just
enough butter for our own use" it is
impossible to break way from these
tiresome problems. In fact, butter for
the farm family costs twice as much
per pound in labor and feed as does
the best creamery butter. The cows
are often fed at a loss, the milk is set
improperly, cream is not fully churned
and there is no help derived from i'm
proved machinery or labor saving de-
vices. But the farmer who makes but
ter for market as a side crop or VINO
sells his cream to a factory located 100
miles from the farm finds all of the
tiresome details lightened and simpli-
fed by the dairy inventions of our
day. The cheap hand cream separator,
improvements in setting milk, better
churns and cheap transportation have
brought about this improvement and
money has flowed in upon farmers by
SIS, s25 or $40 each month and proved
a real surprise to the good nan or
woman who had risked a few dollars
on this new enterprise.
In a new and rapidly developing
country cattle raising is limited chiefly
to beef production because natural
feeds are cheap. Such cattle are usu-
ally crude, unfinished specimens n
fill the markets with low grade stun.
Improved blood soon appears in the
breeds of cattle and the local supplies
OF feed arc used to finish the cattle
grown on farms or small anche
These better bred cattle constitute
the class quoted as feeders, The
southwestern cattle interests have o
reached the feeding point" From this
time forward thousands of finished,
well fatted cattle will he turned OIL
by those farms upon which a surplus
of feed is found. Here lies
the greatest possible profit per acre
and per man in cattle raising.
We should not express surprise that
Texas and other southwestern states
have recently imported butter by the
ton from the older states. The cattle
industry here has been operated upon
a pioneer basis, known as the range
system. This has influenced the man
ner of keeping cows, even in the older
well settled portions of these states.
The lessons taught under this old re-
gime was briefly: "The southwest Is
naturally a cow country, therefore IT
Is useless, it is extrayagant to supply
feed for cattle or to provide for them
with system" With the passing OF
his fallacy and the increase of feed
ing facts among farmers the farmer Is
confronted by the question, "Can
make money feeding dairy cows?'
II any class of cattle can be fed
oroftably in a country dairy cattle as
can. We see the reason for
his in the proven fact that more OF
he feed is returned to the owner when
ed to the milk COW than when fed to
he beef steer. Add to this the estab-
ished fact that there is a smaller vari-
,tion in the market price of dairy prod
lets than meat and WI discover an as
,ured income based on secure markets
md cheap production. The dairy farm
n has cash in hand because he "foots
Up weekly or each month and knows
he extent of his success or failure in
inc to change and improve upon his
Unlike the farmer who
rows a crop of corn or cotton for a
he gets his returns continually
does not need tho assistance (O
# the credit system.
The cash returns each month, the
,rowth of pigs and calves fed upon
Iourishing milk slops, the sale now and
hen of a good calf, constant increase
n the richness of his la%nds-these are
efficient arguments to keep the farmer
Cling cream or butter without men
ioning the pleasures Of a full supply
o the household of all those table
Iainties and necessities that are to be
ound only upon a farm where good
Mich COWS are kept going II months in
he y~ear.-Texas Farm and Ranch,