The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-09-09
Tho Dual Purpo.e Cow.

is inclined to think that 1t Is Still neceS-
sary to say a good deal more about this
COW in order to impress upon the dairy
men as strongly as possible the fact
that this animal. in spite of all that has
been said in her favor, is nothing but
a phantom, a delusion and a snare.
Theoretically, it is very we'll to say
that we want a COW that will give a
nice flow of milk and at the same time
drop a calf. which. il it happens to be
a steer, will turn out to be a feeder as
good as though 1t had been dropped by
a good beef cow.
There are thousands OF small farm
ers throughout the middle west today
who milk from 10 to 20 COWS who are
convinced. or think they are convinced,
that they have these u purpose COWS
and that they are the best cows they
could raise under their peculiar condi-
tons. They have been impressed in
some way or another with the fact that
the real dairy COW is an animal alto
gethere too delicate to be bred and fed
by them. Many nave n notion that these
dairy COWS are subject to tuberculosis
or some other disease and thus wholly
unable to Withstand the usage which
they are prone to give to their herds.
not weaklings; they are not more sub
5ect to disease than are any other
breeds OF cattle. Good cattle of any
kind need good care; you cannot ex-
pect to raise a first class animal with
scrub care. There are plenty of strong,
vigorous animals among any of the
dairy breeds.
The trouble with most farmers is
that they like the looks of u nice fat
COW better than they do one of a strong
dairy type, which is not a model of
beauty and symmetry as to form. es-
p~ecially not If viewed through a beef
raiser's glasses. If, however, she is
viewed through glasses of a good dairy
man, who admires her, not on account
of her symmetrical outline. but rather
because of the number of dollars she
will bring in. the question becomes
quite a different one.
To the young mar Who is beginning
to found a dairy herd. we would say:
Don't breed your COWS to a beef ami
NAL. No. don't do it. Don't imagine
n a you can get a dual purpose bull
among the beef breeds. 1t is true hat
there are occasionally individuals in
these breeds that are fair mixers,
sometimes good mixers, and OCCASION
ally excellent mixers. But after all.
they are few in number and the very
worst OF it all is that ever though you
that bull. ten to one, will get calves
totally unsuited for the dairy. Why
should anyone expect anything else?
Have these COWS and bulls not been
bred for beef for generation after gem
Grafton? Are they not valued because
Of their square, blocky. beefy type? Is
1t not the ambition of every breeder
Of beef cattle to produce animals of
perfect n faultless form from the
butchers standpoint? Certainly it is
and no n would attempt to dispute
1t.
The requirement OF a beef animal is
that it must lay on flesh at the least
places where the highest priced cuts of
meats are formed. The beef animal
must max beef and fat out of its food
and to the credit of the breeders of beef
cattle let 1t be said that they have sue
ceeded in a remarkable ann in this
respect. Beef and milk. however, are
two different things and a be pro-
specially adapted for either one or the
other.
Whoever advocated breeding draft
horses to roadsters with the expecta-
ton OF getting something that would
be more serviceable than either of the
best friends of dual purpose COWS to
minutely describe to you exactly what
to look for when buying C an ami
nal, 1t is safe to say that they could
not do so, for they do not l,now them
selves. There Is. perhaps. no stronger
friend OF dual purpose cattle than Pro-
lessor Thomas Shaw Of Minnesota, and
even he has come to the conclusion in
a recent editorial in the ST. Paul Far
mer that there is no standard for gen
eral purpose or dua purpose cattle. He
says: AS 1t now stands, every breed
er has his own standard and the far
mer Is at sea-" Professor Shaw says
further. h1t Ia norfofp1v hiUh fir,o
that all general purpose breeders let US
know where they are at. They should
at least rear their calves by hand; milk
their cows and give us some milk rec
ords that they may know what they
can do, or stop pal1ning OF their stock
as general purpose"
Coming from a man like Professor
Shaw, who for years has advocated the
dual purpose cow, these facts mean
much more than had 1t emanated from
one who never favored such cattle and
dairy farmers could hardly find a bet
ter excuse for abandoning their futile
chase after dual purpose cattle. There
Is no question in u mind that If far
mers would substitute good dairy sires,
Tor those they are using at present,
they would soon raise the average pro-
duction per cow from $50 to. $50 pounds
of butter per year and increase the net
profits per cow at least $50 per yea
above her present earning capacity
suppose the steers raised from COWS
bred to dairy bulls are worth a great
deal less h those from COWS bredAto
beef bulls, which they are, what steer
will bring a profit OF $50 over and
above the feed it will take to get him
ready for h market in two and one
half years7 And yet this is what he
would have to do in order to make the
beef combination as profitable as the
dairy type. even though the dairy steer
were given away provided we are cor
rect in saying that dairy sires would
raise the average butter yield from $50
to $50 pounds. and we certainly be-
lieve this to be a conservative estimate.
The great trouble with the farmers is
that they do not know what their COWS
yield; II they would only keep a record
OF the yields Of their COWS for a few
years they would soon learn that dairy
blood counts.-Twentieth Century Far
mer.
y