The Savannah morning news., 1904-08-28
COWS AS WEALTH PRODUCERs
They Add Millions of Dollars Year
Iy to the COuntry's Wealth.


Did you ever sit down and figure. -
said the man with pencil, Just how
big swath the humble dairy cow cuts
in the world, or, more properly speak
ing, in this country? If you haven't
you will doubtless be surprised to know
that she adds $205 0O0, 900 a year to our
wealth.
There are about II 900, 900 dairy COWS
in the United States, which are Yield
ing about 1,S75,000,OOO pounds of butter
a year. At Is cents a pound this foots
up over 100000
1.-THE average annual yield of but
ter to the cow is 125 pounds, and if the
farmer knew no VITO feed his cattle
properly he could bring this average to
300 pounds, or about the cost of the
COW in the first place.
Most farmers who have never in
vestigated or studied the matter inn
agine that all that is necessary to feed
a COW is about what he thinks she
ought TO have. The fact is that every
COW must first have enough food for
body maintenance. then whatever she
gets over and above that goes into
milk or meat-which, depends upon the
breed.
IF d COW is bred along dairy lines -
that is, If her sire is a full blooded dairy
a.nimal-she will not have the usual
Natural ltHuFiltN 10 convert INTO meat
her excess of feed. but will turn il out
in milk. If she is fed from the time
she drops her salt, is regularly MIXED
and made comfortable. quiet and con-
tented the more feed she gets the
more milk she gives. There's good
bit in keeping any animal contented
and happy especially if she is a good
mixer.
Some may think that such an enor-
nous yield of butter as would result
from proper feeding of all these cows
would bring ruin TO the industry. This
would happen only where feed is ex-
pensive, but the real result would he
that American butter would find a big
market in Europe, where we could un-
dersell all home competition.
For instance. in Denmark II costs:
In round numbers. about twice what
II does in the Northwest to produce
butter. In Germany the cost is but
little less than i'm Denmark. and so il
runs through all the countries that Of
fer Us a market.
In fact. there is a lot Of butter
now being exported by the big cream
cries. and they find II easy to average
81 or So cents a pound. The price
abroad at present prohibits butter from
general use. but with a production
Doubt what We now have we could ar
p FORD TO oner II abroad al a figure that
would still give us plenty OF margin
1T viii take a good many years.
though. 10 bring the average up TO
even 20o pounds 10 the COW. since much
81 the stock rs poor, and proper feeding
is an idea that the dairy associations
find ~ dificult 20 propagate Present
prices are satisfactory. however and
the good coz. one that is properly
managed. viz net ne owner from $50
20 $40 q wear
The butter business e. rapidly drift
ing into the hands Of the big cream
cry c0mpa MES. ~ which there are 3
large number especially in the West
and Northwest They have not 0nls
been raisinR the standard ~ butter.
buf they have been gradually putting
up me price
They have stations scattered 90
over me country eaey ~ access - fhu
farmer The owner ~ 3 dairy herd
buys . patent seplfafor fhaf fuFue or
fbe butter 49, and fhe crcamerra pay