Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1912-02-23
HELP DAIRY INDUSTRY
Special Efforts Making to I'M
prove Southern Conditions.
Products Now Obtained From Farms
In South Do Not Begin to Supply
Needs of immediate Vicinity
Gull Out Poor Cows.

The department of agriculture, by
direction of Secretary Wilson, is
making special efforts to improve the
dairy industry in the south. There
is great need in the south as well as
in other sections of the country, said
Secretary Wilson, for an increased
production of dairy products, and the
department through its dairy experts
is trying to bring this about.
TN the first place, it is needful
that the farmers in the south should
produce a larger amount of milk, be
cause the milk and other dairy prod
ucts now obtained from southern
farms do not begin to supply the
needs of the immediate vicinity. The
consuming public needs more milk,
and the farmer needs to know how to
make money by supplying it at rea-
sonable rate Hence both more dairy
men are needed, and fuller knowl-
edge of modern methods of dairying
Zone of the things most urgently
necessary is to increase the average
production of milk per COW, by Gull
ing out the cows whose yielding abll-
ity is small-which take up stable
room, feed and the farmers labor
without giving an adequate return
therefor. The only reliable way to
distinguish between cows that are
good at the milk pail and those that
are not is to keep records of their
actual performance. This practice
the department is bending every eff
fort to get the farmers to take up,
and these efforts are meeting with
gratifying success.
"The field man of the department
goes into a locality, talks to the
farmers, and finds one or two men
who will carry on herd record work.
He shows them how. and helps them
In testing the milk and in working up
the records, until they are able to
do these things for themselves; thus
helping them to weed out their poor
cows and make a better profit out OF
the remainder of the herd.
"The records furnish needful infor
nation about the work of the farm
in other respects as well, such as the
feeS consumed by each COW, and the
cost of feed. The field man gives in
struction in feeding problems, show
ing how the same or larger quanti-
ty of milk can be obtained from
cheaper rations; and gives sugges
lions in the selection of feeding
stuffs. The dairyman is encouraged
to grow more roughage for his cattle.
such as corn for silage, leguminous
hay and soiling crops.
"The aim of this work is to get one
or two well conducted dairies in each
one of a large number of communi-
ties, in the expectation that large
number of men in each community
will pattern after the work of the
ones cooperating with the depart
ment; or in other words, to use the
one or two men as pivots. good
case of this kind is shown in a GER
tain locality in North Carolina. About
four years ago a field man began
with two dairymen keeping records
One of these herds was an excep-
tionally good herd the other had
large number of poor individuals
These poor cows were weeded out
while better ones We're bought, and
the profits were materially increased
Since that time about dozen men
have taken up record work, and
large number of pure bred cattle
have been purchased. Nearly a dozen
silos have been built in this one To-
cality, and several new barns and
dairy houses have been erected, and
as many more remodeled The gen
eral interest in dairying has so in
creased that at the present time a
small creamery is running successful
ly in this locality-so much milk is
produced: After three years of this
work three days short course in
dairy instruction was held, at which
30 people attended, taking part in the