Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-09-19
POSSIBILITIES OF
DAIRY FARMING
Best Methods Discussed by Prof. J. w.
Ridgeway Of A. G. NJ.
College.

J. w. Ridgeway, associate professor
of dairy husbandry at A. & M. college
discussing dairy farming in Texas
said:
That dairying is fast absorbing the
attention of Texas farmers Is shown
by the rapid increase in the number
of creameries in the past decade. Ii
1900 there were five in the state, while
today we have as many as seventy
five. Such conditions of growth along
this line would naturally be expected
for 1t has been the history of every
section of country that as the popula.
ton increased and lands advanced in
price the people were forced into a
more intensive system of farming. and
il is then that the dairy COW takes her
place in the front rank as the most
economical producer of food for hui
man consumption. The dairy business
may be divided into two distinct
kinds Dairy production and dairy
manufacturing, the former dealing
with the feeding, breeding and care of
the dairy herd which results in the
production of milk, and the latter deal
ing with the manufacturing and sale
of products made from milk. such as
butter, cheese, etc. From this one can
see that the dairy farmer comes under
the dairy production side and the
creamery man under the dairy man.
ufacturing side.
Before dairy manufacturing can be
advanced to any great extent it be-
comes necessary to develop dairy
farming or dairy production, for, like
all manufactures, the creamery must
have the raw material.
There is wonderful room for ad-
vancement along the line of dairy
farming in Texas. AS shown by the
latest statistics the average yearly
of COW in Texas is about
300 pounds of milk, which contains
$50 pounds of butter fat. The returns
from this COW, when estimated upon
the least years prices for butter fat,
would be $33.75. Now, it will take be-
tween $50 and $40 to feed a COW for
a year, depending somewhat upon the
location of the farm and the mans
system of feeding, but it is safe to
assume that it will be $35. The ques-
ton then naturally presents itself,
Where is the profit? Which can be
only by the fact that there
is no profit unless the daryman is
selling either whole milk or cream, or
unless he has a better grade of cows.
There are plenty of men in Texas,
however, who are making money out
of the dairy business and a study of
their methods will reveal the fact that
these men have been wedding out the
low producers. breeding to the best
pure bred bulls they could obtain, and
feeding more homegrown rations.
These three things when followed con-
will mean success where
otherwise there would be failure.
Discussing this separately, will
say that the only true method of as
pertaining what COW is producing is
with the use of the milk scales and
the Babcock test, which will give you
a record of not only the milk but also
the butter fat.
"One of the laws OF breeding is that
like begets like, and unless the pro-
genitors of the calves raised are high
producers it is absolutely certain that
The calves will not be any better. Here
IS where it becomes possible with the
use of a pure bred bull selected from
a family of producers to improve each
of calves. The Importance
Of the use of a good bull can not be
too strongly emphasized, for one can
readily see that he represents one
half the blood of the herd, and even
more as a result of his consistent
breeding along a certain line he is
more prepotent than the grade COW
with which he is crossed.
in feeding a dairy COW as many
home grown feeds should be grown as
possible instead of the large number
Of commercial feedstuffs that are now
led In fact, a dairy COW should be
regarded as a machine for converting
he rough fodder, grain, ETC., into a
more salable product, such as milk,
outter and cheese. In addition to be-
ng a market for these things, the COW
'eturns so per cent of the fertilizing
,alue of these feeds back to the soil
n the form of manure, which aids
in soil fertility preserva-