The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1910-06-30
IMPROVING THE DAIRY HERD
Letters and Answers Concerning the
Care Of the Dairy.

/ In looking over the recent issues OF
FARMING papers ones attention is at
tracted by the unusual number of in
qulrles from subscribers who state that
they intend to 60 into the dairy BUSH
ness and, being without experience,
seek advice about starting. The pub
llshed replies to these inquiries are, as
any editor Knows, written after a very
careful and thoughtful consideration
1 OF the subject; for any man who is
| worthy to be an editor takes the larg-
est pride in answering such questions
only after mature deliberation based
upon experience and research. But,
for the friend without experience, the
best advice is contained III the one
word Don't
/ The great value OF these answers to
inquiries is not to the inexperienced
| questioner but to the reader who has
been falling short Of the success he de-
| sircs to attain--the man who has adj
Vanced far. enough to knew that he
knows nothing" for II 10 at that stage
of development that learning becomes
| possible.
For example: a subscriber to Wal
laces' Farmer, who has been raising
grade beef COWS, has made up his mind
to go into dafrying and asks where he
can buy herd of good dairy cows.
The conservative and wise answer
runs as follows:
1t is difficult to help in a case of
| this kind; that is, to help in the way
our correspondent expects In the first
place 1t Is no easy task to pick UP a
herd of good dairy cows Good COWS
are worth money these days and their
owners know it, and part with them
only for high prices In the second
place we do not advise any man who
suddenly decides to go into dairying to
start out and buy herd Of dairy COWS.
His first effort should be to learn
something about dairying about COWS,
about feeding, about caring for milk,
cream, and butter Some men who
! have been raising beef cattle and grain
for some years without making money
suddenly determine to go into dairying
and seem to think all they need to do
is to gather up some dairy COWS at
long prices and begin milking They
will find that dairying is business in
| itself that it requires special know
ledge in addition to general informa-
ton concerning breeding and feeding.
Our advice to this correspondent,
and to others who have the same
| thought in mind is to first begin to
milk and study the COWS he has. To
do this intelligently he should provide
| himself with Babcock testing ma
chine, and scales Weigh the milk
| from each COW night and morning
every day. At the end of each month
test the milk from each COW for three
successive days, taking sample from
each milking. The average percentage
| OF butter fat from these testings multi
piled by the total number of pounds of
milk given during the month will give
the total number of pounds of butter
fat for the month At the end of the
year he will know which cows have
been profitable and which have not
He should weed out as rapidly as pos
| sible every COW which does not yield
200 pounds of butter fat each year -
This Is not the kind of advice he
wants, and possibly not the kind he
will be thankful for, but it is the very
| best we have"
| This letter comes to National Stock
man and Farmer from West Virginia
subscriber:
! Il am thinking of going into the
dairy business, selling butter and feed
ing the skin1 41lh 81 calves and pigs.
| have all and feed, but
no exfAn You