Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-10-16
ACRES OF DIAMONDS
Fulton County Farmer Demonstrates
Modern Methods of Money Making.
$4,4OO Per Year from Dairy
Farm.
By ]. J. Mojonnier

By ]. ]. Mojonnier
A herd of 10 cows that average
10000 pounds of milk per COW annual
ly is not found upon many dairy
farms. The average yearly milk pro-
duction of Ohio is 1000 pounds and
for Helvetia patrons is 5400 pounds.
That means that Hollis McQuillin's
herd of 10 cows produces as much
milk as 80 average cows. If Helvetia
patrons all had and cared for their
cows like this, $1,500,000 annually
would be paid to Delta farmers for
milk, as it is 100000 are paid annual
ly.
These 1O cows cost very little more
to feed, require little more labor and
no better nor fancier barns than the
average COW. Such herd could not
be assembled upon every dairy farm
but if Mr.. McQuillin's methods were
followed closely by every Helvetia
patron, in three years, the average
milk production of this community
could be raised to 5000 pounds per
COW, which would mean an income of
$750,000 annually, to Helvetia patrons
about Delta.
Eight years ago, Mr.. McQuillin
bought his 80 acre farm, unimproved
run down, sandy soil at $4,000 per
acre. Improvement on the place
cost him more than $4,000. With a
debt of $4,000 on the eighty, he bor-
rowed money to buy a highly bred
Holstein COW and her heifer calf. He
bought the best he could find, for his
aim was to build up small herd of
high producing cows that he, with
the help of one man, could care for
rightly, believing this to be the most
profitable herd. In the course of or
years he bought more cows and
two heifers. He started to do official
testing from the first, realizing that
thereby the value of the calves would
be handsomely increased and besides
it would help him to pick out and de-
velope the best producers.
Present Rerd
His present herd consists of seven
mature cows, two four year olds and
one three year old, besides 10 head
of young stock and is headed by two
of the best bred sires in the country.
Three of his cows have records of over
100 pounds of milk per day, showing
the results of starting with the best
of stock that have already years of
good breeding behind them, and of
breeding and developing the best by
good feed and care.
Secret of Feeding
Mr.. McQuillins great secret con-
sists in doing thoroughly all of the
little things according to practice
that gives the best results.
All alfalfa and clover hay, silage,
corn and oats as we'll as the straw
are produced upon the farm so that
only $400 worth of oil meal Ajax
flakes and bran are bought annually.
More than enough wheat and corn
are sold each year to pay for all mill
feed bought.
The cows freshen from the last of
October to the first of December.
The cows run dry about 6 weeks. |
and during this time they are fed all
the roughage they want besides some
grain consisting of chopped oats and
corn and some oil meal so as to
have them in excellent condition, at
the time of calving.
At calf birth the COW is given the
best of care. The calf nurses only
once and is taken away. To avoid
milk fever, the COW is MIXED, only
partially dry during the first two
days. She is fed lightly on mash of
bran and oats for a few days, gradual
ly increasing her ration up to the End
or 3rd week, when she is fed upon
full feed.
The unmixed, ground grains, con-
sisting principally of oats, Ajax fakes
oil meal, bran all fed according to
the likes and needs of the COW, are
always fed upon the silage at the
time of milking. The grain is fed at
the rate of one pound or quart to
every pounds of milk produced. No
grain is fed to the cows that they do
not relish.
At first the cows are milked times
day, that is every six hours, but as
the lactation period progresses they
are MIXED only three times day and
finally only twice. The increased yield
of milk by milking three times per
day when the cows are giving most
milk will pay any farmer whose cows
milk better than 40 lbs per day. An
increase of 25 to 80 per cent is OBJ
tanned by this practice.
The cows are always fed all they
will eat up clean, so as to keep their
appetites keen. Roughage for win
ter consists of silage fed at the time
of each milking with the grain. In
the morning fodder corn and in the
evening alfalfa .or clover hay is fed
in the covered barn yard, where they
run loose at all times excepting dur
ing milk time when they are stanch-
ioned In summer they have 10 acre
wood lot and pasture on spring
seeded meadow but at no time is pas
ture depended upon entirely to supply
all the roughage. When the pasture
gets dry more silage and hay are fed.
so that the cows are kept filled and
satisfied and hold up their production
even through the hottest and dryest
months.
1t is a proved fact that the more
good feed dairy COW can eat above
what she requires for the maintenance
of her body the more milk she will
produce. She is a hard worked amin
al and she needs good supply of
ground grain, rich in protein to do her
best. Four pounds of milk worth 7
cents will surely pay for one pound of
good grain worth 1 " cent and rough
age worth 2 cents. Grain prolongs
the lactation period, betters the health
makes her produce thriftier calves and
lengthens the life of dairy COW.
The cows are treated with the