Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-08-08

| FARMER. lney nave SHOWN nlm SOmt
things he needed to know. One has
only to talk with dozen different dairy.
men and get their opinions, to realize
the drifting" the vagueness of thought
and the lack of solid intelligence that
prevails. The majority persistently
ignore the helpful side, believing that
outside of themselves there is little
worth seeking, and that dairying at the
best is game of luck and chance.
When one finds man who is making
success with his dairy, making an
actual profit, he finds one who seeks
after knowledge continually. He is al
ways on the alert for information that
will apply to his business. He knows
what he don't know, and seeks for tine
information needed. This leads to the
question, "What should a dairyman
know in these fast passing years?' No
business on earth needs wiser, more
calculating head than dairying does.
We briefly group some of the essential
things to know in future dairying.
The dairyman must, first of all, be
intelligent, must be of an inquiring
mind, active in seeking out facts in
stead of evidence to confirm pet notions
or hobbies A collection of errors al
ways brings waste and loss. The owner
of dairy must read, think, plan and
marshal all the forces at his command.
he must spend time, and money some
times, to get the knowledge needed.
What father knew is no more applicable
to dairying to-day, than the methods of
iron mills in 1860 are to the processes in
vogue now. Dairying is not business
governed by few cast-iron rules. 1t is
a constant evolution, and the dairyman
must meet the new conditions and en-
vironments that arise and surround him.
One of the greatest needs is better
''cow-judgment" Seven dairies out of
ten are mixtures of all breeds and quail
ties, under the shadow of "poor rela-
tions." No dairy of mixed breeding ever
gained high prominence, nor did the
crossing of two dairy breeds ever pro-
duce the excellent qualities of both, or
either, for that matter, and the second
cross deteriorated in production and
breed characteristics. sports" may,
and do, crop out, by reversion, and may
be of astonishing excellence, but are of
little value as foundation stock. A dairy
man may be a good Judge of cows, able
to pick the best out of his neighbOrs'
herds, but his success contributes to the
failure of all the herds he draws from.
The dairyman must be well grounded in
breeding, mating, ''nicking". He must
believe that the dairy COW of the future
is to be an animal of home-farm pro-
duction. He must be the moulder of his
herd and know how to do it.
The farmer was never brought "up
against" the feed question as he is to-day
Rapidly increasing values of grain, the
mixing of feeds, the balanced ration, and
the cheapest feed, are some of the things
that perplex him. Ignorant of what a
good dairy ration is, he often gets the
most worthless feeds in seeking for the
cheapest. In season of cheap wheat
and high corn a farmer who saw the sign
out, "HomIuy SIS" said: That settles it;
I'll buy 65-cent wheat, grind it, and
stiffen up its protein with oil meal at
SIS" Mill sweepings, screenings and
oat hulls ground together and sold at
SIS probably worth 81, would not
tempt this man. This is one thing to
know-what are cheap feeds and what
are dear ones. A man can easily de-
nounce balanced rations" as "cow
bosb," but it is costly to buy feeds and
guess at results.
Closely akin to this is the question
what can the farm produce for the dairy?
IL is time for the farmer to find out how
he may be Independent of the grain pits
of Chicago. 1t has been said that "the
wheat pit of Chicago is only 30 feet
across but it is as deep as hell" Dairymen
must shuu these pits and buy and pro-
duce on the farm with more understand
ing. This leads to the question of rails
ing protein on the farm. Will alfalfa
grow? Can clover be made ~ catch with
more certainty, and how? Can the silo
be made to play a greater part in feed
ing? Is it the solution of the summer
soiling business? Will bushel of en-
silage take the place of grain ration in
July? viii succulent food benefit cows
more than the same food dried? Will
roots added to silage make better ra-
ton than either alone? What is the limit
of feeding for profit? All these are
questions for study and solution.
What about soils, tillage, fertility?
How are these to be made to work to-
gether for profit? What Is humus!
What is @virgin fertility" and how can
the COW man restore it? What about the
barn, and sanitation? In the northern
states cows are housed in good stables
% hours day for four or five months.
What about light, ventilation and health?
There are plenty of cow stables, but how
many have comfort" written on every
board in the structure? This is ques-
ton for much study, with all notions and
prejudice put aside. Cow comfort is cow
profit The COW can't talk but the scales,
used S65 days in the year, talk for her.
If any one thing calls for greater study
in dairy management it is ventilation
not the wind blowing through the stables
as it listeth, but real, proper, sanitary
ventilation.
We have given only a few hints.
More aud more is continually being re-
quired of the dairy and dairyman. A bet
ter cow must be secured and she must
be fed with better understanding and
care. The dairy reflects the handiwork
of its owner. If the majority of dairies
fall below the requirements of the times
\ it is because such sermons as this are
really needed.
Tia, ~ TT. coe n a, covy EoahinO