The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-01-06
CARE OF THE DAIRY cow.
Clemson Extension WOrk-Arti-
Gle 80.
y X X i * * x x X X x

IA
time, been popular as human foods
and are destined to remain so indef-
[ nitely, it is surprising that so little
attention has been given to the pro-
r duction and especially is this true
II in our Southern States. It is safe. to
say that there are not articles so COM
mon1y used in our diet about which
there is such a lack of accurate
L knowledge and such extravagant
methods of production as is the case
= in the production of milk, cream, but
ter, or cheese.
With our peculiar advantages such
ais climatic conditions insuring long
seasons for crop growing and elm,
mating the necessity for expensive
p housing of cattle, the State of South
Carolina should figure largely as an
exporter of dairy products instead OF
relying on other States to supply
considerable portion Of our needs in
this respect.
It is not for a moment assumed
that every farmer could proftably en-
gage in the dairy business, but it is
+ certain that there is room for many
more and that many of those already
engaged in it could add materially to
their profits by a better understand
ing of the underlying principles. The
first important question to be decided
in starting a dairy farm is that Of
cheosing the kind Of cows to be kept.
Without entering here into a dis.
+ cussion as to the relative merits OF
certain dairy breeds it is sufficient
to say that there are certain charac-
teristics which distinguish the pro-
htable dairy COW from the profitable
beef producer; that these character
istics are especially found in such
breeds as Jerseys: Guernseys, Hol-.
stems and Ayrshires and that the
4 strictly beef type of cattle are, as a
rule, .unproftable in the dairy.
Not every man can proftably handle
the pure breds at the start, but good
grades of the above are very satisfac-
tory. No matter how good a start
has been made in the selection of the
COW there still remains the important
question of proper handling and feed
ing. lit is a matter, of common OBJ
T. servation that during the season when
the pastures are providing an abund-
ant supply of feed, succulent and nu-
3ritious, it is an easy matter to keep
up the milk flow; hence we can not
/ do better than to substitute, as far
as possible, these natural conditions
at other seasons of the year. j.,
This means that during the winter
F. it is necessary to supply some feed
thatSis sncculent or juicy; this again
means ensilage, and right here IS a
F good place to say that for herds OF ten
or twelve head and over the. silo is
profitable investment. Corn ;ensilage
is, however, not in itself rich enough
for "a complete ration and should
therefore be supplemented with some
concentrate and in this section cot
ton seed meal should be used as
basis for the concentrated portion OF
the feed. A fairly good ration for
cow weighing 80 pounds and giving
i thirty-two quarts of milk daily would
be forty pounds corn ensilage; four
pounds cotton seed meal; to pounds
corn meal; and two and a half pounds
! wheat bran along with about six
pounds good, bright stover or mixed
sorghum and pea vine hay.
The corn meal may frequently be
profitably replaced by dried h;ef pulp
4 which is giving very good results as a
dairy feed and can ge9sa1ly be OBJ
tained here for much IS than corn
meal. Salt should b given regular
1y, preferably on N feed, say about
a small table s9 full sprinkled On
food >7ice dai3y a
Ror best results the COWS should be
warm and comfortably housed in
ter and, chiefly because feeding
watering should be done at reg
intervals, it is best to supply wat
: the stable The dairy cow is a
,ensitive creature and quickly
S i'll treatment, so that all rough
hent should be absolutely abol-
in the dairy barn. Treated in
manner the dairy COW will 80 on
tGo1nplacently chewing her cud, gem
erously pouring out the milk, and
j scarcely noting the difference between