Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-10-28
THE DAIRY COW.
Hon. Frank s. Adams, State Dairy In
structor, at farmers Week course. Univer-
sity OF Maine.I

In prehistoric times, the wild cattle
we're divided into two families by the
natural environments. Those that in
feed was good, were larger than those in
the hills and mountains where the feed
was scanty. Their function in life was to
reproduce their kind in their offspring,
giving enough milk for the calf until he
was old enough to hustle for himself. No
improvement year after year, a question
physically of the survival OF the fittest.
The COW played an important part in
the history and development OF this State.
The COW Of the past, once usually referred
to as the native COW, was just the type OF
COW for the wants OF those days. There
were no markets for dairy products, or
much Of anything else.
This pioneer COW was a COW which gave
milk in the summer when in the pastures,
so that the farmers wife could make but
ter and milk to pack away for the long
winters. This pioneer COW would drop q
calf that could be raised for an OK to as
sist in clearing the land OF stumps and
rocks, SO that it could be plowed and
cultivated for the crops, and in the vim
ter, hauling wood andllumber to market,
for about all the money these farmers had
was what was received for the wood and
lumber sold.
This pioneer COW, when her usefulness
had passed, was slaughtered for food for
the farmer; the hide was tanned and made
into boots and shoes for the children to
wear to school in the long winter months,
and even the horns were utilized for
'powder horns" as they were called.
The old native COW played we'll her part
in the early history and for quite long
period; up to the close Of the Civil war.
About this time inventive genius, which
had been using most all its efficiency in
inventing and constructing machines of
destruction, was turned to the more
peaceful occupation OF inventing and con-
structing machinery to aid in production.
The same inventive genius had har-
messed the water powers, and manufacture
ing centers were growing and there COM
menced to be market for dairy products.
The only ground that seemed to be left by
the western farmer for the farmer of
Maine was dairying. The farmers of
Maine at this time had some little know
ledge OF dairying. They began to realize
that il this business was to be profita BILE
the old native COW must go, and instead of
trying to develope dairy they did the
wisest thing, import ed from the countries
where the Inhabitants had been working
for centuries breeding and developing
animals OF the dairy type. The Jerseys
were the first importations to this State
l speak fin .thisslecture principally OF. the.
Jerseys because the Jerseys were the
pioneers.
These pioneer dairy cattle went into the
hands OF farmers who were not used to
taking care Of that kind of a COW. The
old native COW, that they were familiar
with, owing to her environments, was as
tough and hardy almost as a deer. Cold
barns, poor care and feed, in many
instances going a long distance for
a drink OF ice water, and that only
once day, so you can see that under
these conditions the pioneer COW had a
bard time and the immediate result was
'reversion to type", going back to the
original common stock, and it began to be
the opinion that these improved animals
coming from warm climate would never
do well in our cold, long winters, because
in a few years they saw a small, under
sized animal with short teats and small
udders.
The old pioneer farmer knew very little
lob ha faadinu Of dairy
stock, but many have learned the
lesson and, am pleased to say that We
have now in Maine as good herds OF the
different dairy breeds as can be found
anywhere in this country, and some OF the
great reasons why all dairymen are not
successful are because they do not comply
with right conditions.
Some men have a natural genius for care
OF cattle and will make a fair success
without the technical training that you
boys get here in the college OF agriculture,
but the benefits OF technical training are
well illustrated in the COW test associ-
atoms in Maine. The official tester that
has had this training not only assists the
farmers in keeping records OF production
anu cOSl Vi shIue, uut INC DS7t uah uiSh
that we have in Maine will tell you that
they have been of great assistance in COM
putting rations and in many instances have
been able to save much more that the cost
of the association. You boys who are GO
ing to take dairying for your work are
much better equipped for the work than
men who have never had this training.
My advice to you young men who are
going to take up dairyIng is TO decide
that you will some day have pure bred
stock; do not always be contented with a
grade herd; never for day with scrubs.
Then try and produce all the raw material
you can on the farm - hay, corn,
oats, peas, clover, ETC., to sell to the COW
as machine to manufacture into the prin-
cipal products-milk, cream and butter
fat.
That there is great opportunity for
dairying in Maine is self-evident. Milk
and cream must always be produced near
the consumer. The State of Maine Is