The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-07-15

The Ranch is pleased to present the
following views from the standpoint of
one of it's subscribers, who is a prac-
tical dairyman, concerning the sources
of city milk supply, now under discus
sion:
The COW in her natural state sup
plies milk for one calf for a period Of
about five months out of twelve, and
the balance of the year she is per-
mitted to give her exclusive attention
to supplying her own wants and re-
cuperating from the eXertion of sup
porting her calf for the previous five
months. She lived in the open air and
had the privilege of selecting such food
and drink as best met with her require
ments, and was not hampered by close
confinement and subjected to foul air
and dirty, cramped bed and COM
PEELED to eat such food as was conven-
lent for her master to provide or go
hungry.
But the profit-bearing cow of the
present day is kept INF an artificial con-
dition for the greater part OF the time
and is required to produce milk enough
to support several calves not only for
five months but in some cases double
that time And the cow is hampered
in her choice of feed and environment
from the day of her birth till the day
of her death.
In order for man to successfully
maintain a COW in this artificial con-
dition it is essential that her keeper
should be acquainted with all the
scientific facts concerning her habits,
tastes and requirements and of the
proper handling of her products in
order that they may reach the con-
sumner in a healthful condition If there
is any serious mistake in proper care
and handling of the COW or her pro-
ducts the human family will pay the
penalty by the sacrifice of health and
sometimes life,
1t is not necessary that every dairy
farmer should have scientific college
education to secure the consumer of
dairy products against disease and loss
of life, because the state provides
dairy instructor, whose duty is to visit
the dairies and instruct the keepers in
the scientific part of his business. And
in addition the United States govern
ment, together with the several states,
maintains experiment stations to gath
err and disseminate such knowledge as
the dairyman needs to properly carry
on his business. And if the dairyman
fails to secure the knowledge it is his
own fault and he will suffer in profits
and the public will suffer in health.
The dairy instructors qualifications
should be thorough scientific agricul-
tural education and knowledge OF
dairy architecture, together with at
least five years practical experience in
keeping COWS and the manufacture OF
their products into the marketable pro-
duct.
1t has been falsely held that any
man who has just brains enough to fall
in every other business could succeed
in farming. But If there ever was
time that it required less talent to be
successful dairyman than any other
line of business that time has gone by
because the demands upon the COW
have become so great and she has been
taken so far from her natural state
that it requires as much sc1entlnc
thought and care to handle her sue
cessfully in her artificial surroundings
as it requires for an M. ID. or other
specialist to succeed in his line.
There are few men who have given
as much trained thought and scientific
research in dairy lines as have any to
any of the learned professions, but
am sorry to say that they are few and
far between, but there is light visible
on the horizon of this seemingly dark
view.