Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-08-05
DAIRY BETTER THAN COTTON
More Money In Milk from Twenty
Cows Than There Is in Eight
Bales Of the Staple.

Everywhere In the south the farm
ers consider cotton their master. They
consider cotton, not q goodly king but
a harsh tyrant, writes N. o. Nelson in
Southern Cultivator. 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
oeople will say that a low price con-
,inued for several years, will SO re-
luce the planting as to make 1t
scarce and thus raise the price, and
that high price will bring so much
planting as to overdo it, 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. It 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 higN
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. It is less work to
raise pasture and feed for 20
COWS, milk them and care for them,
and get at least $1,000 year out
Of them, than 1t is to raise eight bales
Of cotton, and get from 5000 to $3.50
for 1t.
5 The fever tick has been serious
handicap to stock raising in the south.
\ It 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
t work and got large number of farm
: ers to join 1t. They sent for the raw
material to make 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
e and put in successful operation a co
S operative creamery. The creamery as
ISOLATION was made up of farmers In
E the vicinity Of Eatonton, who owned
about 400 cows. They signed a writ
q ten agreement that for a period of two
II years they would deliver to the cream
q cry, all the milk they produced fol-
l. sale. Each milk supplier gets the full
proceeds of the milk and cream
be supplies. They pay for the cost o
the creamery by allowing to be re
, tanned a certain per cent. of the pro
). ceeds of the milk. All farmers ar,
Z eligible to join it. Having thus an as
3 sured market for their milk, and haV
z ing excellent grazing and feed pre-
a ducing land, cows will increase raI
& idly in number. Within a year tn
y supply of milk will perhaps be doubled
y They get their pay every two weeks
which is a new thing for cotton grow
q ers.
. After the creamery had been goin
y awhile, there was organized a Credi
y society, of such creamery members a
4 wished to join 1t. The members Q
n the society signed an agreement t
y become jointly liable for money to b
= borrowed with which to buy COWS t
y be sold to its members. They boz
z rowed money on this ample respons
y bility at six per cent, and can borro,
q more as needed. They have bough
< quite number Of COWS and in tn
z future will bring them In by carload
y from other localities in the stat
z where good cows can be found at rel
. sonable prices. They resell them I
z the members at auction, the profit b.
q longing to the society, ind thus the
e accumulate their own capital. On
4 member can get only five cows unit
Z all have been supplied. They pay Il
- the cows by allowing one gallon {
e milk per day for each COW to be r
4 tanned at the creamery to be apple
Z on the purchase price If a COW die
- the buyer does not have to pay for
e but it is distributed on all the otht
\ cows. Title in the cows remains in Il
Z society until paid for, so there is I
y risk.
e This society enables the farmer
4 get money at a cheap rate. 1t enable
= the poor man, who would have I
= credit at bank, to get productive pro
e erty or capital. 1t enables each OF
Il to pay for the cows in an easy fas
Z ion, in fact the cows pay for theI
y selves, and their feed besides.
By cooperative association the farr
\ er gets the benefit Of capital. good bu!
I ness management and the best ma
= keting. They get acquainted wi
e each other and become better neig
a bors.
80