Fergus County Democrat., 1915-10-14
DEVELOPMENT
Of DA|RY|NG
COUNTY AGRICULTURALlST CARL
PETERSON'S COMMENT ON
INDUSTRY.
STRONG FOR WINTER DA|Ry|NC

Montana has made wonderful pro
gress in the development or her dairy
industry within the past two or three
years, and yet greater progress will
be made when more attention Is Civ.
en- to winter dairying. There are sev-
eral reasons why the latter is more
Among them are more economical dis
tribution of labor on the farms; bet
ter markets for the dairy products
greater production Of milk; better
cows and calves; better farms, homes
and communities.
AT the outset | will state that win
ter dairying means that while the
farm. as factory, will be run on full
Shift and capacity. it also means 365
about $50 days as on the ordinary
straight grain farms.
Dairying in any new section is al.
ways carried Oh during the summer
season to provide milk and butter for
home consumption on the farm and IL
any is left over ii is usually sold to
the local merchant, who pays what
ever price he can, which depends ON
the local supply. It is well enough to
have all the milk, cream and butter
that can be used on the farm during
the busy having, harvesting and
threshing season. but not much time
ar IN rIu I.,ir -
end of the farm business. However,
If 1t could be SO arranged as to have
the cows freshen along in September,
October and November (as is being
done in the great dairy centers of
Wisconsin and Minnesota), the bulk
of the heavy farm work is over and
more time can then be given to the
care of the cows and calves. 1t will
furnish profitable employment for la
borcrs during the entire year
1t means greater production per COW.
as nearly all cows give a fair flow Of
milk when fresh, and with reasonable
care and feed, should keep this up
during the winter months, and when
turned out to green pastures IN the
spring. the flow will increase and con
tinue until about July l5, when pas
ture begins to be short and flies APP
pear. Thus the cows will give milk
for a long period than when fresh in
the spring.
In addition to greater production,
winter dairying has the advantage Of
affording better markets for the prod
ucts, for it is wellknown fact that
butter usually sells for from % to
80 per cent. more during the winter
months than during the summer.
In the winter, more time can be
devoted to the development of the
calves and when turned out to pas
ture in the spring, they will make
needed for the calves in the spring
need for the calves in the spring
can be fed to good advantage to the
young pigs. In the winter, more time
can be devoted to weighing and test
ing milk in order to weed out the
Improbable cows. thus gradually
building up the quality OF the herd.
II is Il well-known fact that In all
communities where farmers have
turned to winter dairying, wonderful
changes have taken place in the de-
farm buildings are always better;
there are always far less farm mort
cages: and. better than any of the
above, there is the improvement of
the farm life.
II is true that winter darying means
more work, better shelter for the
stock, and the necessity OF providing
more winter feed. More work means
greater revenue. and while better
buildings are needed, often times these
can be made out of poles and straw,
ii properly built. The winter forage
can be provided for by means of al
falfa or fodder corn, either dry, cured,
or in the form of silage.
The above suggestions are worth
considering.
CARL Fl. PETERSON,
Fergus County Agriculturalist.