The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1911-03-17
SMALL DAIRY IS
NOT DRUDGERY
Properly Handled, Pays Well
for Time and Effort.
Dairy Products In Most Universal De-
nand-Second Only to Com
merciaI Crop In Importance.
By /. p. Whitney former Dairymen Wash
ington Experiment Station.


ington Experiment Station.
To thousands of farmers who are
dairying in a small way, the work
connected with the dairy is classed as
drudgery, and they do it only because
they are forced to do so in order to
make living for their families. They
have no natural liking for the in
dustry. Therefore, they give 1t only
such attention as Is absolutely neces
sary, and ninety per cent of them who
fail, or who keep on the margin be-
tween success and failure should lay
the blame upon their own neglect OF
the advantages offered by the indus.
try, rather than to blame the indus.
try itself.
In contrast to the many who are
unsuccessful, we find In every dairy
section few dairymen who are en-.
thused with their work, men who
like the dairy COW, and are willing
to give her chance. They study the
problems which confront them and
meet them in the best possible way.
These men are always pointed out as
the successful dairymen of the COM
munity In which they live.
1t may be truly said that dairying
is a worldwide industry. No other
foods are used so universally as Is
milk and its products. In the United
States today 1t stands second to but |
one other agricultural industry, the
corn crop. From practically nothing, |
viewed from commercial standpoint, |
in thirty years time it has over.
shadowed all Others and at its pres
ent rate of development, in another
twenty years, it will stand without
rival as the greatest of agricultural
industries
While dairying has made such a
rapid growth and the gross returns
from the sale of dairy products has
increased wonderfully, figures that
would Indicate the net profits Of the
industry would not be so fattering.
1t is true that the price of dairy
products have advanced, the same Is
true regarding the feeds which must
be fed to the dairy COW in order to
produce these products, and at the
present time the average dairy cow
OF the country produces only about
enough milk and butter fat to pay
for the feed she eats. This being
the case, one may we'll ask from what
source are the profits coming to
cause the industry to develop at such
rapid rate. In many sections of
the country men have robbed the soil
until 1t would no longer produce crops
at profit. Nature has compelled
them to find some method of restor-
Ing the fertility to the soil and almost
without exception they have turned
to the dairy cow. She has demon
strated her fitness for this purpose
and the farmer has been satisfied to
keep her for the manure that she
would produce providing she would
produce enough milk and butterfat to
pay for her feed. In other words,
the dairy COW has been kept prim-
arily as fertilizer factory and the
milk, In reality, has been a by-pro-
duct. 1t Is then the indirect profits
that have caused the great develop
ment OF the dairy industry instead of
the direct profits derived from the
sale of milk and its products. I'm
doubtedly the dairy COW will always
pO th uVihuhu III lilC lGItlllJy WHlCuI
is found In her manure, but 1t should
not be an excuse for keeping an in
ferior milk producer. A good dairy
cow will furnish as much fertility in
q year as will poor one and at the
same time pay handsome profit at
the pail on the feed which she con-
sumes, while the average cow at the
present time, is paying practically
no profit from this source.
A good cow will produce at least
three hundred pounds of butterfat per
year. The average price is about SOC
per pound, 800 for butterfat alone.
Add to this 5000 pounds of Skinned
milk at zoe per hundred, $10 which
gives 500 as the gross return from
the milk. Subtract from this $50 for
feed and care, and we still have left
$40 as interest on the investment and
as profit. When the dairymen fully
realize the Importance of keeping
only good cows and when they rea-
lize the profits which may be de-
rived from keeping them, the dairy
industry is bound to develop much
more rapidly than 1t ever has in the
past.