Imperial Valley press., 1913-12-03

AprH -. ....'..... .o.ooS o.fSo
may .o.4IZ o.49U
June ........ ....... 1883 2.954
july ....... .Z.9i4 Z.o9O
august '..'.. ..... .o.1oo S.o14
September 900. 80. ..2.927 3.OO5
Taking the above figures for Janu-
ary Of the two years above shown, it
will be seen that the increase for 1912
in that month was 0.319 gallons per
day per COW, which, when sold at 16A
cents gallon, amounted to about 5
cents gain daily per cow. This, when
multiplied by the number of cows
kept, which, as before stated, varies
from 100 to $50 head, made the total
gain from SIS to $3.50 day, and when
carried on out for the year, it may be
seen that the gain amounted to a gooo'
deal, but by going still further back, to
January, 1909, the difference per day
is found to be still greater, as it was
over 20 cents a cow for that year as
compared with 1912.
Very little needs to be said when
such convincing figures are shown as
to the value of milk records, but there
is still another profitable feature, in
asmuch as the real value of the feed
used can be seen at glance.
AS an instance of this, another
glance at the above record shows that
during April and May each year the
average is higher than for the balance
of the year. The cause of this is that
during those two mnoths the ordinary
daily ration, which consists of
pounds of driedbeet pulp and 81
pounds of bran and green alfalfa, is
changed and pea vine ensilage SUBJ
stituted in the place of the mill feed,
This ensilage, which is the vines and
pods of the ordinary canning pea put
through the silo, is bought from the
cannery nearby at a very reasonable
figure, and while it is not considered
so good as corn ensilage, the records
show that it makes a valuable addi-
ton to the alfalfa ration.
During the months from February
until the middle of November, all the
alfalfa is fed green in the corrals, the
balance of the year alfalfa hay and
the above concentrates being used.
Finding that it was very hard to
buy well-bred tuberculin tested cows
from others, it was decided, about two
and half years ago, to raise all OF
the heifers, and as the herd was al
ready tuberculin tested, a purebred
Holstein bull was purchased to use
on the grade cows, and while none of
the offsprings are old enough to milk
they show marked improvement over
the older stock and it is expected that
the yearly average will be materially
increased when they begin to freshen
While the majority of the cows are
grades, it is also the intention to build
up herd of purebred Holsteins, and
with that end in view, there are at
present 20 head of registered females
the foundation Of which was started
two years ago.
AS before mentioned, all of the ma
ture cows have been officially tested
and many of them have good butter
records, among them being Chorida
Lime, daughter of the former Ne,
vada College cow, Stafford Mercedes
Aagie Tube, Tirania of Sleepy Hol-
low, with record of 2l.67 pounds OF
butter as four-year-old, and Zozc
Paul Sierra, with 23N pounds of but.
ter in seven days.
/ The bull which was selected to head
the herd of purebreds was one out OF
the COW Tirania of Sleepy Hollow, but
all of the stock has been bred to the
bull Colantha Sir Pontiac Aagie, own
ed by L. A. Hall, who lives nearby
and it is expected that this cross will
bring some fine young calves in anoth.
er year.
At present the grades and the pure,
breds are all run together and milkec
in the same barn, but X. w. Abbott
who owns the registered stock, is
building new barn with concrete
floors and other modern equipment
which will be used for that clas2 OF
stock, and it is hoped TO have eveat