The Lexington advertiser., 1904-10-20
FARMER AND PLANTER.
DAIRYING IN THE SOUTH.
The Best Way For an Average Far
mer to Build Up a Profitable
Dairy Herd.

Several days ago Secretary Duggan
Informed me that he had put me down
on this programme for an article on
how can the average farmer acquire
profitable dairy herd. Now on this sub
1ect | can give only my own expert
ence. About four years ago a cream
cry opened in our county, and | was
then milking four cows, which gave
more milk and butter than my house
hold could consume. l decided to send
surplus to the creamery, not that |
thought there was much money in it,
but more to further home enterprise.
! soon found that the monthly pay
ments we're very acceptable, and when,
in the faI of that year, had made an
unusual large amount Of forage, l de-
decided that could better sell it to the
COWS than to put it on the market as
forage. Then the question was. how
can l best get good cows? l did not
want cow that would not test five
per cent. butter fat Whenever heard
of COW for sale, said to be a good
one, I went to see her milked; bringing
away sample Of milk which I had
tested. If she gave as much as II
pounds of milk or more, which tested
the Ave per cent. butter fat, | bought
her, as this was equivalent to one
pound of butter a day, and | consid-
cred her very good COW. At twenty
five or thiry dollars, which was the
average price, soon built up herd
of Is cows, testing as a whole five OF
six-tenths per cent. | bred these cows
to the best thoroughbred Jersey bull
that | could get, and now have quite
a number of heifers which are very
promising, some giving as much as
pound of butter day with their first
calves. am now milking 80 cows. Of
I was obliged to have a separator,
which | found very necessary, partic-
ularly In feeding the calves the
SKINNED milk. The creamery, for lack
of milk failed, leaving me quite a sum
invested in cows, separator, ETC., and
no prospect of any return, except by
making my own butter. This began
to do, finding it difficult at first to sell
it with any regularity at 20 cents. But
soon found that good butter would sell
itself, and | built up a good trade at
"a cents in the summer and rs cents
in the winter. Ny cows are now in
Rru octtIrn bttt ryiuinp q
return Of SITS per month, with an out
lay OF s25 per month for grain This
does not count hay and forage raised
on the farm. These grade COWS prov
ing so profitable, l have decided to
purchase some thoroughbreds, that I
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 1t 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 I keep in a good 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 $S to SO for them. The heifers
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 S12 month besides what do and
the forage | raise on the farm
consider Georgia an ideal state
for dairying. We have a delightful
climate, enabling us to Craze the COWS
the entire year, and can raise all the
food necessary for them on our farms.
Now if 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 $40, and butter selling at rs
cents per ponnd?-W. l. Harley, In
Southern Cultivator.