The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1904-02-01
Winter Dairyine VS.. Summer Dairying.

ability of changing from winter, OF
all-the-year dairying to that OF spring
and summer dairying, makes the ques-
tons involved of more than usual In
terest and Importance. 1t would ap-
pear, generally speaking, that single
cause is responsible for the situation
the extraordinary high price OF mill
feed that has prevailed during the last
two or three years, without a cores
pondingly high price for dairy pro-
ducts. Such a condition becomes all
the more interesting when we notice
the turn matters appear to be taking
in our sister state of Oregon, where
at the recent convention OF the state
dairymen the burden of advice given
to the dairymen was in the direction
of winter dairying. Evidently, spring
and summer dairying continues to be
the general practice there.
The writer was among the first to
advocate and practice winter dairylng
in this state, and can see no good rea-
son for changing from such a system
of dairy farming We admit that
prices of feed and butter are relatively
out of proportion for some three or
four months of the year, but this OBJ
lection is more than offset by the
larger quantity of butter-fat that
good dairy cow will produce during
the year, when freshening in the fall
or early winter. For instance, good
tWo-year-old heifer, when dropping her
calf in the month of September or
October, should produce not less than
one pound of butter-fat per day for
the next eight months, and for four
of these months her feed need consist
of only such as the farm produces.
For the other four months, at the
ruling high prices of feed, six cents
per day, wisely invested, will buy the
required feed to keep her up to her
full capacity when properly combined
with such feed as ought to be produced
on the farm for the dairy herd.
Last year the lowest prices for
creamery butter were % and "a cents
per pound (when pastures were at
their best), and the highest prices
during those months that it becomes
necessary to buy feed were 80 and
80 cents. 1t is, therefore, safe to. as
sumo that the higher price ruling dur
ing the winter months ought to pay for
such purchased feed. Such a heller
ought, at an expense of not to exceed
$3.50 for purchased feed, to produce
$50 pounds of butter during such milk
ing period, which, at 27 cents, the
average price, would equal $67.5O. The
writer has, now milking in his herd.
COWS that freshened in November that
are producing one and three-quarters
and two pounds of butter-fat daily up
on a homegrown ration, with egiht
cents per COW added for purchased
feed. We confidently expect to keep
these COWS at such results for at least
five months With these results the
high price of feed does not make us
for moment consider dropping the
winter dairy.
Another advantage, the dairy cow
in milk, that has been properly fed
and cared for during the winter
months, will, in the spring, as a rule,
be in better condition for profitable
summer work than will the cow that
drops her calf during March or April,
since the COW not in milk is apt to be
neglected during the winter and COM
PEELED to subsist upon one-sided IA
ton. Winter dairying has many other
advantages that, when combined,
amount to a very important item-such
as the extra value of the manure pile;
the securing of better heifer calves
Will, xubic, tO kQon I'm and improve