The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-03-31
DAIRYING IN SOUTHERN IOWA.
BY Hugh G. Van Pelt, State Dairy
Expert.

pounds OF butter. For the most part
this butter is produced in the north
ern half of Iowa. There is no logical
reason why this is true because when
consideration is given to the compar-
alive character of the northern half
OF Iowa and the southern half, it is
found that conditions in southern
Iowa are more conducive to high
class and profitable dairy farming
than the northern half of the state.
In the territory of the C. B. & @.
Railway are to be found conditions
that with little improvement are
as perfect for large and economical
milk and butter-fat production as
can be found anywhere in the world
The climatic conditions are more ac-
ceptable, with mild winters, long
summers, with acre after acre of
rolling land which grows and fur
nishes luxuriant pastures of blue
grass, Offering ideal conditions for
the dairy COW a large portion of the
year. 1t is recognized fact that
corn does better no place in the
world than in this section of Iowa.
Glover, alfalfa, and sweet clover can
be grown in vast amounts per acre
as has been demonstrated by many
Pure, fresh, cold water is to be found
on every farm, and a feature that
stands out foremost and above all
others is that no place in the world
is there to be found more intelli-
gent class of farmers Summing up,
then, all that is needed is to combine
these requisites with the good dairy
COW, cared for under proper condi-
tiOns, and the result can be nothing
more or less than successful and ex-
tremely profitable. In fact, it has
been found by experiments that the
dairy COW is the most economical
producer of all farm animals. Ex-
periments carried on Messrs Law &
Gilbert show that the dairy COW pro-
ducing ten quarts daily of four per
cent milk supplies almost as much
Fat as does the steer gaining Is
pounds per week. Considering the
milk figures in terms of fat, she pro-
duces unequalled amounts and besides
this six times as much mineral mat
ter and six times as much nitrogen
GUS matter which is very important
and worthy of consideration. This
she does on rough feed which is
cheap feed to a large degree, while
the steer producing the above gain
must be fed largely on concentrated
food stuff which is more expensive
Another great value of the dairy
COW is that daily she returns to her
owner pay for the feed which she is
consuming and each week or month
q her owner receives a check for that
which She has accomplished. This
means continued prosperity to her
country and is one way of accounting
q Tor the fact that dairy communities
are prosperous communities and not
subject to hard times and panics to
SO large a degree as are those COM
inunities where other forms of agri-
culture are in vogue. But. after all.
we have not given the dairy COW
credit for her chief asset In reality
we find dairying to be the greatest
form of agriculture for retaining soil
fertility and, i'll fact, building up the
farm in such way that year after
year it becomes better insteard of
poorer. Facts show that one ton of
butter valued at the present. time at
nearly 500 takes away from the
farm only 40 cents worth of fertility.
Again, owing to the rolling character
of the land in the southern part of
the state, it would seem that the
more reasonable form of agriculture
would be that form which would
make it possible to keep in grass as
large a portion of the farm as posi-
die, realizing that continued cultiva-
ton makes it possible for the rains
4 to wash from the hill tops the fertile
soil which is so necessary for large
and profitable crops. Again, the
farmer of the southern part of Iowa
has in the past not raised the large
amounts of clover and alfalfa that
should have been raised on these
farms. 1t is a known fact that these
iegumes have the mower of taking
out of the air nitrogen and deposit
ing it in the soil, thereby rendering
the farm richer instead OF poorer. No
other class of farm crops has this
IUWer and timothy hay---valueless
as compared with clover or alfalfa as
a iced for dairy COWS or, in fact, any
class of farm animals. takes away
from the soil certain amount Of
fertility and puts back nothing
With dairy farming generally
comes better farming, crop rotation.
the possibility of retaining portion
OF the farm in permanent pasture,
etc. realize that in the past it has
been possible for the farmer to make
large amounts of money out of the
increase in the value of his land and
owing to the fact that farmers in
II southern Iowa are extensive farmers,
owning large tracts of land, it has
been: possible and likely profitable to
farm on larger scale with more or
less careless methods. That time is
rapidly passing and the young man
OF today who is to be the farmer of
the future and who must buy these
farms finds that his efforts must be
more extensive if he is to pay the
price now asked for farm land, max
4 ing an interest on his investment and
4 thereby gain for himself a good liv-
ing. All over this country times
have changed radically in the last %
years and as matter of fact you will
agree with me that more progress
has been made in agriculture in this
score and a quarter of years than had
been made during the 5000 years