The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-03-01

nurDoSe COW Florine, Brown Swiss,
cost of feed $35.57, profit $23.27, and
The Jersey has $2724 greater profit on
s3 SO less cost for feed.
There are many similar cases that
might be cited, but these figures show
that the least economical producers
are often the greatest feeders. The
dnal-purpose Shorthorn COWS were not
entered in class A at st. Louis. This
class may be called "the creamery pa
irons class" and by the Shorthorns
not entering this class is a tacit adj
mission on the part of their breeders
that they are not in it with dairy bred
COWS and if creamery patrons will take
the hint they will not have so many
improbable cows At st. Louis class
was for the economic production of
milk for all purposes relating to dairy
ing. In this class the basis for awards
was the total solids in the milk, 30
cents per pound for the fat and 3
cents for the solids not fat. The dual
purpose COWS, Shorthorns and Brown
Swiss, entered this class-25 Short
horns and Brown Swiss, also Is HOl-
stems and 25 Jerseys were in this
class. At the close of the test 1S
Shorthorns stood in solid column at
the foot of the class and from the top
down the Shorthorns stood number II,
81, A, 46, At, 48 and so. They have
been bred SO long and so persistently
for beef that as dairy COWS they march
at the foot of the column. A bull can
only transmit to his progeny that
which he inherits. If the ShOrthOrns
are not up to standard as beef animals
they are passed along as of the milk
ing strain. The good mixers are few
among them. Beef production is their
inherited function.
Now, the reason usually assigned
for selling COWS in the Kittitas valley
is that feed is high" Is this the real
trouble? Is it not rather the fact
that the COWS are not dairy COWS?
That is to say, they have not been
bred on dairy lines but have been
bred on the so-called dual lines, and
are neither first-class beef animals nor
good dairy COWS. At the present prices
of feed a herd that will average ESQ
pounds of butter and 5000 pounds OF
milk will pay as foundation to build
on, provided good dairy sire is used;
but no COW should be tolerated that
will not produce 200 pounds of but
ter and 1000 pounds of milk, and these
no longer than they can be replaced
by better COWS. The skim milk and
manure are two items that are essen
tial to good farming. The valley is
nearly one continuous meadow, inter-
spersed with small spots of grain.
Many of the meadows are not produc-
ing more than one-half what they are
capable of with proper rotation OF
crops. AS a result of our methods
of farming we have paid out for COW
feed imported into the valley the past
year over 100000, which could have
been raised on our own farms for less
than one-fourth of that amount.
AS an instance, we plowed eight
acres of meadow last May and sowed
ten bushels of wheat on it, from which
we threshed 395 bushels. The thresh-
ing bill was $23.70. The straw is worth
more than this for bedding, but it is
good feed. Here are II tons and 100
pounds of wheat which, at the price
paid for mill feed, is worth $237; sold
as grain it is worth 1896, and the land
is in better condition for meadow than
before breaking the sod last spring.
The dairy cow is entitled to better
consideration than she is getting She
should be fostered with great care.
Notwithstanding the large sum paid