St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-10-29
FARMER AND PLANTER.
DA1RYING IN THE SOUTH.
The Best Way For an Average Far.
ner to Build Up q Profitable
Dairy Herd.

1As Best Way For an Average Far.
ner to Build Up Profitable
Dairy Herd.
several days ago Secretary Duxgar
INFORMED me that he had nut me down
ON this programme for an article on
now can the average farmer acquire q
profitable dairy herd. Now on this sub.
1ect l can give only my own experi
ence. About four years ago a cream.
CRY opened In our county, and I was
tnen milking four COWS, which gave
more milk and butter than nv house
aoid could consume. decided to send
surplus to the creamery, not that !
Thought there was much money in It
Out more to further a home enterprise
soon found that the monthly pay.
menus we're very acceptable, and when
IN the fall of that year, I had made an
unusual large amount Of forage, 1 de-
decided that could better sell 1t to the
COWS than to put It on the market As
forage. Then the question was. how
can best get good cows? did not
want q cow that would not test five
per cent. butter fat; Whenever heard
OF a COW for sale, said to be a good
one, went to see her MIXED; bringing
away a sample Of milk, which l had
tested. II she gave as much as II
pounds Of milk or more, which tested
the nve per cent. butter fat, I bought
her, as this was equivalent to one
pound OF butter day, and consid-
ered her a very good cow. At twenty
nve or thirty dollars, which was the
average price, I soon built up a herd
OF Is cows, testing as a whole five or
slx-tenths per cent. bred these cows
to the best thoroughbred Jersey bull
that | could get, and now have quite
number OF heifers which are very
promising, some giving as much as q
pound OF butter a day with their first
calves. ! am now milking 80 COWS. OF
course as soon as increased my herd.
l was obliged to have q separator,
which l found very necessary, partic-
ularly In feeding the calves the
SKINNED milk. The creamery, for lack
OF milk, failed, leaving me quite sum
invested In cows, separator, etc, and
no prospect OF any return, except by
making my own butter. This began
to do, finding 1t difficult at first to sell
It with any regularity It 20 cents. but
soon found that good butter would sell
itself, and l built up q good trade 1T
"A cents in the summer and 25 cents
In the winter. Ny COWS are now in a
very dry pasture, but are giving me q
return Of $176 per month, with an out
lay OF $25 per month for grain. This
does not count hay and forage raised
on the farm. These grade COWS prov
ing so profitable. have decided to
purchase some thoroug that
may derive more profit from the sale
OF my calves. With calves have been
very successful, losing only one or two
IN my four years experience. It might
be OF interest to give my method Of
bringing them UP. let them stay with
their mother one day, then feed them
whole milk ten days, then whole and
SKINNED milk five days, after that on
skinned milk entirely. The winter
calves keep in gQod warm stall.
The summer calves have the run Of
the plantation, and on this treatment
they seem to thrive. In the winter I
SELL my male calves, at from ten to
twelve months old for beef, realizing
from So to SO for them. The heifers
I keep in good, thrifty condition, and
try to have them come to pail by the
time they are 80 months old. con-
slider my calves and the manure to
fully pay me for my hired help. which
Is $12 q month besides what do; and
the forage Iraise on the farm.
I consider Georgia an ideal state
for dairying. We have delightful
climate, enabling us to Craze the cows
the entire year, and can raise all the
food necessary for them on our farms.
Now II the dairymen OF the state Of
New York can make money ON butter
at II cents per pound on land worth
$50 an acre, then why can not we, on
land at SO, and butter selling at rs
cents per pound wv. I. Harley. IN
Southern Cultivator.
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