The Delta independent., 1908-05-08
Dairy Work FOR Settlers.
H. M. COTTRELL

Colorado this spring to locate on farms.
Many of them are locating in the dry
land sections of the state, often on
land on which furrow has never been
turned.
The methods of handling the soil, the
varieties of seeds used and the handling
of the crops after seeding are entirely
different from those found profitable in
Eastern States. Experienced men who
have farmed in two or more states and
under widely different conditions do
not expect to meet expenses for crop
raising the first year while they are
learning what methods and varieties
are most profitable in new location.
Many of our new settlers have a
limited amount of capital, and failure
of crops this year woulG bring suffering
to large number and financial hard
ship to others.
To those settlers whose means are
not sufficient to carry them through a
year of crop failure and have sufficient
left to grow crop the second year,
we would advise the breaking up of a
small area only, not over 40 acres on a
quarter section, and if money is quite
limited. not over % acres.
Write to the Experiment Station,
Fort Collins, Colorado, for advise as to
the best meteods Of preparing the soil,
the best crops to plant, varieties to use
and the best method of treating the
crops after seeding. This advice will
be given gladly and freely.
The new settler should consult the
successful farmers who are his neigh
bors, asking them the same questions
that he asks the experiment Station.
Then utilizing the advice from his
neighbors and the Station, handle his
20 or 40 acres in such a way as to get
the largest yield from them. He will
learn more from cultivating this small
area well than l,e will if he puts all the
land he can into crops and is oblidged
TO do the work poorly.
While learning how to raise profit
able crops under his new conditions, the
farmer will need an income to support
his family. One OF the best ways OF
securing this is by milking cows and
selling the cream TO factory.
Range cows selected for milking
qualities and fed on the native prairie
pastures of Colorado alone will produce
through the summer from 50 to s5 worth
of milk per head month. All the
creamerics pay cash at least once q
month, and some of them pay daily.
The farmer If he cultivates small
area only. will have the help to milk
from 10 to l5 cows. and these will give
him cash income of from go to SIS a
month, depending on the number and
quality of the cows MIXED.
Selling the cream to creamery will
require much less outlay for building
and equipment than will be needed if
butter is made on the farm. and will
make the work much lighter for the
housewife. whose work is already hard
enough when starting in n new home
The calves should be sold for veal as
soon as old enough. and the work saved
in not raising them by hand can be put
on the crops and in making improve
ments.
The warm separator milk can be fed
at good profit to pigs and poultry,
giving another source of cash income
to the new settler.
Sorghum should be sown broadcast to
be fed in the fall to keep up the flow of
milk.
In selecting range cows for dairy
work the grade short-horn has been
usually found the most satisfactory.
The COW should be selected for four
dairy ponts-a good udder, prominent
hip bones, sharp bone at the top of
the shoulder and large stomach capacity.
The writer selected carload of range
cows along these lines. None of them
had been fed grain and several had to
be roped before they could be MIXED.
These cows averaged over $40 per head
the first year in cream sold to the
creamery, and one COW with these
points well developed produced $50
worth Of cream the first year.
Valued Same As Gold.