Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-12-29
BUTTER FAT is
BASIS OF WORTH
QUALITIES OF THE
COW DETERMINED BY THE
AMOUNT IT YIELDS.
Some Iowa 5toek Known to Yield
Large Quantities but Average
Product is 140 Pounds
Per Year.


Per Year.
The value of the COW to the farmer
who is practical enough to consider the
elements that go to make farming =
profit or loss, is being studied more
and more by the men engaged in farm
ing and dairying. The amount OF but
ter fat the COW will produce and the
wedding out Of the herd, cows that are
poor producers are some of the things
that the man living in the country is
considering. The poor producers are
being weeded out by the practical
farmer and dairyman, and their places
are supplied with cows Of known
worth.
Something over year ago it will be
remembered that w. w. Marsh OF Wa
terloo, Iowa, offered $1,000 to be oil
vided in prizes among the cows IN
Iowa that would give the great est
amount Of butter-fat In a years test
authenticated by representatives OF
the Iowa State College at Ames.
Following the lead of this state.
Wisconsin and later LIMOS, started
COW contest.
Big Producers.
At the close of this contest great
surprises were brought forward While
the Iowa COW averages only 140 pounds
Guernsey COW owned by Mr.. Marsh.
yielded over 1000 pounds Judetta OF
Pinehurst, a Guernsey, also owned ny
Mr.. Marsh, yielded TIA pounds, and
Molly NJ, little grade Jersey COW.
owned by Charles Kirby of Griswold:
Iowa, has credit If 63S pounds or
butter in a year. In fact six COWS
there are with records OF 600 pounds or
butter year, or over. Twenty-Five
cows with records. Of over 400 pounds.
Thirty cows with records Of over 900
pounds, and so on.
These records indicate the downright
fallacy and foolishness Of milking
COWS, day after day throughout the
year that produce even less than 140
pounds Of butter in year. for 1t S
a we'll l.nown fact, considering that
there are thousands OF cows in Iowa
that are really yielding from 800 to
1000 pounds Of butter per year, that
there must also be thousands of cows
that are producing less than l4O
pounds of butter a yea in order to
bring down the general average OF the
million and a half cows that are an
nually being MIXED In this state. Even
the wisest Of breeders would nave
laughed at the idea : year ago of COW
under common Iowa farm conditions
producing over a thousand pounds Of
butter in year, but today the fact
stands out as authenticated and offic-
iaE There Is no guess work about IL;
The milk of these cows was weighed
and tested. and their production Is
known.
Offers Another Prize.
So great have been the results &C
complisheo that the contest Is not 70
die. The first race finished and closed
with the last cow under the wire Aug
ust Is, 1910 and Immediately Mr..
Marsh hung up another thousand dol
lars to be divided for cash prizes for
cows that would run well In the race
another year. The cost to the owners
is IS per COW for years record.
It Is known fact that when me
time absolutely wasted and lost In
milking and caring for cows which abb
solutely do not pay for the feed they
consume is figured up 1t amounts to
over rs days on each farm each 'ye''r
It is certainly time when every farn-'.
in the state knows his cows. To leafi'
them he should enter each COW In SON.
sort Of a test to determine whether Sc
Is making, him a. profit or whether ey ;.
cry hours time expended in milking
and feeding her Is absolutely lost anu
wasted. The trouble to the owner Of
cows In the Iowa contest Is reduced
to a minimum because all that Is re-
uuired of the owner is to pay for hav-
ing his COW tested, keep the tester
which is sent by the college at his
home one day each month while the
testing and weighing Of milk Is in OPP
Grafton.
Should Know His Stock.
The opportunity of>visiting with this
representa- tive of the Iowa Agricultural
college one day out of each month
for twelve days each year Is vel!
worth the $500 paid, because the
farmer is brought in contact with new
and better ideas pertaining to better
farming in all departments The time
is right at hand when the farmer can
no longer afford to not know what
each animal and each breed Of animals
he is KEEPING on the farm is doing for
him. With land at over hundred
dollars an acre, living expenses high
help difficult to secure and ex-
pensive when found, it does not require
serious thought to impress the
owner Of a COW that he Is making
great big mistake when he milks COW
over seven hundred times In year
and likewise gives her feed seven hun
dred times, and receives absolutely
nothing for 1t but the pleasure of do
ing the work and the honor Of being
permitted to associate with the I'M
profitable cow This, however, is not so
bad, but in conclusion I want to say
to you that in five hundred thousand
Instances in the state Of Iowa the work
OF feeding and caring for the cow as
well as milking her not only brings
no profit to the owner, but he pays
the COW a cent or fraction thereof
every time he milks her for the pleas
ure he has received in so doing.
am sure the time is at hand when
every farmer in Iowa who thinks is
going to realize the Importance OF
knowing which cows are making him
profit. which ones are just breaking
even and which ones are causing him
q loss.
Entry. blanks and other information
by addressing e. r. Shoemaker,
Waterloo, Iowa.