Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-01-16


able lecture of George Aitkin, secretary
of the Vermont Board of Agriculture, at
the Maine dairy meeting, the idea seem
ed to prevail on the part of some Of the
speakers that there were two standards
for feeding dairy cows, one to be follow
ed by the dairyman who is studying to
produce all the milk he can without re-
gard to the possible progeny Of the COW
the other to be followed by the dairy
man breeder who seeks to improve his
herd with each generation, and will be
content TO obtain just an average income
from his cows in their milk product.
1t seems to me these are false premises,
and that there can be only one safe,
profitable rule to adopt, that rule to be
the breeding and developing of each
animal up to her full capacity by a
judicious selection of such foods as shall
be- readily eaten in sufficient quantities
to meet fully her requirements for main
tenance, and to furnish raw material for
her to work into milk as far as nature
has placed that capacity at her COM
mand.
The boy is developed into full man.
hood only by being well nourished with
food adapted to his needs. The two
minute trotter comes only from long
line of ancestry, fully developed in each
generation by liberal, judiciOus feeding.
The fine oxen, of which Maine is 80
proud to-day, are the result of the full
development of their ancestry through
their capacity to consume and use to ad-
vantage large quantities of food. When
men are required to perform heavy tasks,
mentally or physically, they need an
abundance of food suitable for the work
at hand. When animals are put to hard
labor, it is always expected that they
shall consume large quantities of nourish-
ing food; and in no case is 1t thought
their usefulness will be impaired or their
lives shortened by such feeding.
Shall the dairy COW be the only excep-
ton? Certainly not. Mr.. Aitkin, show
ed convincingly that she is not when he
cited his phenomenal production OF
milk and the constantly increasing
stamina and capacity of each succeeding
generation of his animals.
think it is abundantly proved by the
records of every board of cattle COM
missioners in the country that he who
attempts to produce milk from his
animals for the milk alone, cheapening
its cost by scanty feeding or by feeding
so narrow a ration that his animals are
not we'll nourished, is in the end loser.
l wish every feeder of dairy could be-
come fully cognizant of Mr.. Atkins
methods of feeding that have brought
about the wonderful development of his
large herd of cows. There is world OF
knowledge necessary along this line.
Dairy writer's are apt to decry the low
producing capacity of our dairy cows,
and columns have been written setting
forth the necessity of obtaining better
cows; whereas, to my mind, the fact is
that these cows are as good as any
others, no matter how great their
natural capacity might be, for far too
large a majority of feeders. If we
should go into any manufacturing estab-
lishmeut fitted with machines for doing
a certain work all alike except as to
their capacity, and should note that
every machine, regardless of its capacity,
was being furnished with the same
amount of raw material, and that none
of them were being worked up to capac-
ity, for fear of injuring them, we
should at once say the management was
sorely blind to its own best interests.
In the dairy COW we have more than a
machine. She is alive with energy and
with natural needs that absolutely must
be met before she can be at her best or
can do her best. No two cows are ex-
actly alike, but each one has an individ-
uality peculiarly to herself. l think
am safe in the conclusion that no animal
can ever be injured either individually
or in her progeny by liberal feeding,
and that feeding for milk, when it is
done intelligently, must be feeding for
the welfare of the COW. No dairyman
ever got something for nothing from
his cows: neither can he, by rational
feeding, give them enough to impair
their usefulness. Is there any one thing
that has done more to develop the mag
nificent dairy breeds than liberal feed
ing? From which of two herds would
we select our breeding stock; the one,
small, inferior, with poorly developed
di gestive organs from insufficient food ;
the other large, we'll developed, well
nourished, with digestive organs capable
of handling large quantities OF food?
The question is its own answer.
"But," says some dairyman, 81 have
produced milk cheaper than any other
man; have fed for milk, and sought to
i'm prove my herd at the same time, with
the result that my cows have grown
smaller and of less value with each
generation, and tell you breeding up
dairy herd is a slow, discOuraging
process" The man who works day
after day beyond his strength and with
insufficient food may, by some peculiar
line of reasoning, think he is exception
ally bright, and is getting ahead finely,
but he Is never a winner. He must keep
within his strength and be we'll nour-
ished.
have had quite extensive opportuni-
ties for observing the methods Of feed
ing dairy herds, and have yet to note the
herd that has been improved without
liberal feeding of such varieties OF food
as tend to produce vitality and to de-
yelop the full capacities of the animals.
1 have seen herds practically ruined for
breeders by the thought OF their feeders
that it was not wise to feed up to capac-
ity. The best paying and largest pro-
ducing COW in my own herd has been
fed up to the extent of her appetite for
the last three years. She has produced
more milk each season, and her calves
show remarkable vigor and vitality:
Another COW has just closed her second
seasons work with us. She has produc-
ed one and half times as much milk
as she did the first season, and her call
is a model of strength and vigor. we
have reaped of the sowing from last
seasons feeding, which developed the
cow for better work, and II appearances
are of value in determining capacity for
next season / shall be much disappoint-
ed il she does not do better than ever.
So much for the liberal feeding she has
received.
OF course the successful dairyman
must study type, must be able to know
the dairy form when he sees it; but,
over all and beyond all, he must get rid
of the idea that cows are injured by
sufficient feeding, and learn that only
from surplus food can dairy labor come,
and that the future development OF the
dairy COW will come more along the line
of judicious, liberal feeding than along
the line Of breeding.-B. Walker
McKeen, Fryeburg, Me-, in Tribune
Farmer.
The Forest Service.
The bureau Of forestry states in re-
cent circular that work upon the forest
reserves offers good and increasing op
| portunity for men of the right sort. The
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