Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-06-12
COOPERATION PUT
THIS COUNTY AHEAD
EXPERIENCE OF OHIO DAIRIMEN
SHOWS WHAT OTHERS
MIGHT DO.

What the farmers of one county in
ian Eastern state rcomplished
through business cooperation in the
line of stock breeding is told in the
following article from Wallaces' Far
mer under the title, "A Story of Ohio
Community Breeding"
at is doubtful if any other county
in the United States ever was brought
SO prominently to the notice Of the
breeding world as the little county of
Geauga, in northeast Ohio, all by an
almost sudden change of front of
many dairymen, resolving to discard
their common line of dairy cows,
adopt one breed, organize an associa-
ton for community breeding, have
definite plans, work for special OBJ
ject, and so far as was within them.
attain to better things. The results
achieved in a dozen years have set
pace in the breeding, feeding, and
development of dairy stock that has
well nigh astounded the dairy beliefs
and practices of the past.
Had Tried Everything.
"Geauga is small county, of rath-
err pronounced hills and glaciated clay
lands, inhabited by defendants of New
England farmers, who in turn have
tried. as side lines, beef sheep and
horses. They are back at last to milk
ing cows and supplying cities and fac
tories with milk. Holstein cows be-
gan to get foothold and by 1900
there were scores of black and white
diaries. Later on came the organiza-
ton of the Western Reserve Holstein
Breeders association.
1.-The society has bi-monthly meet
ings where things are talked over.
Noted speakers and breeders are in
vited to talk. A yearly gathering is
held. There are close to 200 men,
bers, each paying annual dues of one
dollar. 1t was agreed upon to breed
nothing but De Kols and to keep as
closely in line as possible. Many have
bred only along strain Of that fam
lily. The result of this has been a
close resemblance and symmetry, in
creased production in milk and but
terfat.
"The strong thing about this So
ciety is that of it's nearly 200 men,
bers, not one Of them ~ years ago
was known as being above the aver
age farmer of the county. All were
milking the common, average COW
of many colors and diffused breed
ing. Yet now cows with yearly rec
ords of more than $4,000 pounds Of
milk are common throughout Geauga
county and there is one-a f1ve-year-
old-that has a years record Of more
than $4,000 pounds of milk with
content of 996 pounds Of fat-1,195
pounds Of Holstein butter-to her
credit.
100000 Last Year for Surplus.
"All over this restricted territory
for Geauga county is only 20 miles
square-can be found these surpris-
ingly good herds. Ex-Governor
Hoard of Wisconsin says that on 20
miles square no where else in the
world can so many high class and
great producers be found in the Hol-
stein breed. Uncle Sam himself has
purchased more than 200 head.
Last year almost 1000 head Of both
sexes and all ages, with the papers,
went out of the county and at sur
prising prices. Heifer cows from 10
to 80 days Old were snapped up at
from 800 to $50. Heifers went at
older. COW prices and for bunch Of
20-months-old heifers the owner re-
fused $4,000 cash. It is safe to say
that last year $4,000 came into the
county for this surplus stock and all
this in addition to the sum of the
regular milk sales from the dairies
ITO promote uniformity in the
breeding and the traffic in these cat
tie, the association has what might
be called clearinghouse which in
a way makes prices, o. KS transac-
tions, warrants and defends in sales
and in a way finances the deals. The
whole secret of it's success is that its
members selected good dairy breed,
developed it by careful breeding and
feeding of the heifers and later on
the cows, and then working as an
association without jealous or en-
wy"