Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-05-20
DAIRY BETTER THAN COTTON
More Money In Milk from Twenty
Cows Than There Is In Eight
Bales Of the Staple.

6dleS OF Lne ObaPiSs
Everywhere In the south the farm
ers consider cotton their master. They
consider cotton, not goodly king but
a harsh tyrant, writes N. o. Nelson In
Southern Cultivstor. The price Of
cotton is a mere incidental. 1t Is a
slave-driver and poverty maker, they
say, at any price. It is not material
whether cotton, contrary to all other
commodities, can be forced to q high
price, regardless Of the crop. Most
people will say that low price con-
dnued for several years, will so re-
duce the planting as to make 1t
scarce and thus raise the price, and
that high price will bring so much
planting as to overdo 1t, and reduce
the price. It is inevitably a see-saw
between high and low prices.
Besides being hard work and poor
pay cotton impoverishes the land as
we'll as the man. 1t makes farmers
poor. There are poor improvements
and few gardens on nine-tenths of the
cotton farms, small schoolhouses and
short terms, much credit and high
prices for supplies. The universal
verdict is against cotton.
There is another industry to which
the south is peculiarly adapted by its
land and its climate, which pays bet
ter than cotton, is less arduous work,
is less subject to the destructive
weather and seasons, and which stead
lily improves the land and the farmer.
That is dairying. 1t is less work to
raise pasture and feed for 20
COWS, milk them and care for them,
and get at least $1,000 a year out
of them, than it is to raise eight bales
of cotton, and get from 5000 to $3.50
for it.
The fever tick has been a serious
handicap to stock raising in the south.
1t is now we'll known how to destroy
1t. It only requires attention and
union with the neighbors.
Putnam county, Georgia, started an
Anti-Tick society the members
agreeing to conform to some simple
rules for eradication. They went to
work and got large number of farm.
ers to join 1t. They sent for the raw
material to make a wash that will kill
and effectively prevent the ticks
on any infested farm within the
county.
Preceding the organization of the
Tick society, there had been organized
and put in successful operation a CO
operative creamery. The creamery as
ISOLATION was made up of farmers In
the vicinity of Eatonton, who owned
about 400 cows. They signed a writ
ten agreement that for a period of two
years they would deliver to the cream
cry, all the milk they produced fol-
sale. Each milk supplier gets the full
proceeds Of the milk and cream
he supplies. They pay for the cost Of
the creamery by allowing to be re
tanned certain per cent. of the pro
ceeds of the milk. All farmers are
eligible to join 1t. Having thus an as
sured market for their milk, and hav
| ing excellent grazing and feed pro
ducing land, cows will increase rap
idly in number. Within a year the
supply of milk will perhaps be doubled
They get their pay every two weeks
which is a new thing for cotton grow
ers. ..p
After the creamery had been coins
awhile, there was organized a Credi
society, of such creamery members az
wished to join 1t. The members o.
the society signed an agreement t.
become jointly liable for money to b.
borrowed with which to buy COWS t
be sold to its members. They Dor
rowed money on this ample response
bility at six per cent, and can borrow
more as needed. They have bough
quite a number of cows and in thu
future will bring them In by carload,
from other localities in the state
where good cows can be found at rea
sonable prices. They resell them t
the members at auction, the profit be
longing to the society, ind thus the,
accumulate their own capital. On,
member can get only five COWS unit
all have been supplied. They pay TO