The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-01-02
MORE cow TALK

ADOuC sixteen years ago young
man in Minnesota who had Away
been interested in cattle, made SOM
very definite decisions relative to es
tablisihng and building up a dair!
herd. Like many beginners, he coult
afford to start with grades only, bu
he always used a purebred sire, ant
depended upon the use of neighbor''
sires until he could afford one fol
his own herd. His neighbors were
startled and his family thought the
business was ruined when this young
man began to buy purebreds. In si1
years every grade had been sold from
the farm, and as sales were made the
proceeds went into purebreds.
Yet this record was not goot
enough. After six years of handling
purebreds only, buyer came to his
farm, liked his animals and their rec.
ords, brought the entire herd, and
paid the owner good price.
The experience up to this time hat
established an ideal for type, and in,
dividuals within that type that were
large in size, and large and economical
producers. Now came the work of re.
establishing his herd and finding the
type that measured up to the ideal
Five thousand miles were travelled tc
find the sire worthy to head such q
herd. Equal discrimination was used
in the selection of females.
Today he has fine herd of 80 ami.
mails, and there is not an aged COW in
the herd that is producing less than
600 pounds of butterfat annually, and
young cows and heifers are making
corresponding records.
1t may be we'll to say that this man
does not believe in the dual-purpose
animal, and considers that in the ami
NAL he is breeding he has the show
type and the producing type blended
and his recent production records and
show ring winnings are evidences in
his favor.
This brief and incomplete story of
one mans experience in beginning and
developing dairy herd, emphasizes
no doubt one of the leading factors
having to do with the success of the
undertaking-namely, the personal
factor. In crop production the man
factor is more productive than soil,
weather or other conditions. Similar
ly in dairying, differences in men
make striking differences in the char
acter and production of herds. Among
others, the main personal qualities re-
quired for success in dairying are in
terest in the work, ability to make
good selection of breeding stock
coupled with business Judgment, pref
erence for an adaptable breed for the
purpose it is intended with determin-
alton to stay by that breed, refusal to
buy or keep Improbable animals, and
persistent efforts for improvement in
securing those of higher and more
economical production.
Furthermore, the beginning dairy
man must be willing to cooperate with
others, as the business of dairying is
largely community undertaking. 1t
must, therefore, be handled cOopera-
lively. There are numberless oppor-
tunities in dairying for community CO.
operation-in buying, exchange of
sires, testing for butterfat, breeding
exchange in farm operations, buying
OF feeds, besides the central coopera-
tive undertaking-the creamery.
In many sections where county farm
agents are employed, and where there
is demand for dairy stock, the farm
ers have found it greatly to their ad-
vantage to select one of their number
who is assisted by the county agent
III selecting as many as car load lots
OF high grade and purebred stock
These are then sold by public or pri.
Vate sale in the community where
wanted. One county reporting has
imported five car loads of one breed
OF live stock during the past season
In another county there has been re.
ported an exchange of sires between
"a different dairymen this year. and
1t is also stated that in the neighbor.
hood OF cooperative creameries where
COW testing associations cannot be
organized with official testers, asso
Citations have been formed where the
buttermakers make monthly tests o.
individual animals for butterfat from
samples taken the tenth and twenty
fifth of each month. The farmer.
supply themselves with milk sheets
test bottles and milk scales for dali,
weighing.
There are great possibilities in com
munity breeding. The beginninf
dairyman or the small dairyman can
not always afford the purchase O
purebred sire for his herd, but
group of farmers can, and collectivel,
may purchase sire much superior
to what the average dairyman can
and thereby all the more rapidly bull,
up their herds with superior strains
No greater care should be taken il
any part of the undertaking than tn
selection of the foundation stock an.
o. animals that may later be added t,
the herd. A buyer should not only b.
assured but have certain proof tha
animals purchased are free from dis
ease. Animals from herds regularl
tested for tuberculosis are to be pre-
ferred and in no case should dairy
man take an animal onto his farm tha
has not undergone a recent test.
dairu hard cho,,l1l- ,,alro a ..o4;