Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-11
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The Cow ~ q Money Maker.

The Cow ~ Money Maker.
There was never q more appropriate
time IN the history OF the northwest
to engage in the production Of milk or
cream. looking at it from a purely
money-making standpoint, writes e.
X. Slater to the Northwest Agricul-
tural. We firmly believe that the future
prosperity Of our agricultural commu-
mites depends upon engaging in dairy
ing more heavily in order to maintain
the fertility OF the soil and to get
proper returns from labor and capital
invested.
Let us first consider the question
Of maintaining the fertility of our farm
land. In spiteso of the fact that dairy
ing is now engaging the attention of
many communities to a more or less
degree, we can not claim that the fer
tility OF our soil is not deteriorating.
1t will continue to do so until we go
into dairying. to the fullest extent.
We must not be content with pre-
serving the present fertility of the soil
we must do better than this. We
must put back the excess amount that
we have taken from it. This does not
mean necessarily that we must keep a
much larger number Of COWS in order
to do this. It means rather that we
shall be really dairy men. Preserving
the fertility Of the soil is not accom-
plished altogether by spreading man
ure. The man who runs his dairy as 1t
should be run will carry on his other
farm operations in the same manner.
He will rotate his crops and will grow
lots Of clover. He will till his land
we'll and care for 1t scientifically.
Dairying teaches him to be better
all around farmer 1t will bring him out
Of darkness in regard to soil treat
ment.
But while he is maintaining and Inn
proving the fertility of his farm, will
dairying bring him substantial profit,
or must he look upon dairying as an
investment and look for his profit from
the increased productiveness of his
land? That is the question we will
now consider. We will treat only of
the good COW and what she will do.
Perhaps to first call attention to the
fact that prosperity has followed the
common COW into every community
where she has been introduced will
best emphasize the possibilities of
dairying. If the common COW, this COW
that produces only $50 pounds of but
ter in a year, is a good investment
for a farming community, then what
about the better COW, the one that will
produce 800 pounds or $50 pounds?
1t is very easy to find individual
COWS In all our dairying communities
that are producing over 800 pounds
of butter in a year. 1t is also easy
to find many other cows that are ca
pable Of producing that much With
good feed and good care.
But take, for instance, COW that
will produce only $50 pounds of but
ter in a year. At the present prices
for feedstuffs it will cost, at the out
side, not over s35 to feed that COW Tor
a. wear. Two hundred fifty pounds OF
butter at Is cents per pound are worth
s62. 10. There is profit Of $27.5O for
the wear, or $17s worth Of product for
every dollars worth Of feed consumed.
Il Is conservative to state that the
manure the skim milk, the buttermilk
and the calf is worth all Its costs in
labor to care for this COW. This fact IS
particularly appreciated when we fully
realize the Importance OF this great
question of soil fertility.
II can not be claimed that the hg-
1,res we have given are misleading.
In fact they are too conservative. II
anything, except the amount we have
allowed for cost OF feed. The 2S0-pound