Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-08-27
To- Conserve Daiyyu0u:S Vim|

maximum of what can be done. There
is no reason why all of the herds in
the United States should not be yield
ing as large an annual production as
these if they were as >intelligently
handled. While the difference in earn
ing power of these cows is only liz
cents per day, this small increase for
each of the 18,0O0,O0O cows in the
United States would mean an addi-
tional profit of 1857, 100000 annually
for the dairymen.
We have been talking about this
testing and keeping record of the
individual cows so long that we wish
it were not necessary to say anything
more about it, but so long as dairy
men persist in being ignorant of their
cows production, we shall keep
pounding away until they become ac-
quainted with each individual COW
and save themselves the folly[of con
verting high-priced grain into "drib-
bles of milk and loads of dung." "
Bookkeeping has shown that the
shiftless hit-or-miss breeding of
scrubs does not pay expenses. The
argument is plain enough. A dairy
COW is machine for converting food
into dairy products, and the best
economy and surest profit consists in
employing the best machines obtain
able. Remarkable improvement has
come with the grading up Of dairy
herds.
The price of dairy products has ad-
vanced, but not in proportion to the
advance in prices of grain and land,
and under the present conditions it
is the height Of folly to milk cows
that do not pay expenses. 1t is, there
fore, a matter of great concern to
the dairyman to know what his cows
are doing. .l.
This is the day of thinkers, and it
is to the dairyman S advantage to be-
long to this class. The proposition
confronting the dairyman today is not
primarily matter of location, soil,
or climate; Tt is he, himself, that
stands in the way of his own progress.
Few people realize what intelligence,
care and study, what patience, obser-
vation and experience are needed to
make good dairyman, to interpret
to the mind the language of the COW
in such manner as to understand
her every need and be able to prop
erly supply it. The inherent and ia
tai weakness Of many people is that
they wholly ignore the really impor-
tant and decisive factor of success in
all fields of human activity, viz,
trained and intelligent judgment, bas-
ed on sound theory and practice. The
cause and cure for the backwardness
IF the dairy man is in his mind, and
IN the solution of his problems chief
prominence must be given to the hut
nan factor. The trouble with many
lairymen is that they think they
know, which is the worst possible
sind of ignorance "The first step to
is to know that we are
gnorant.' - Our most successful dairy
men have attained their achievements,
lot by luck, but through intelligent
orethought. 9
The chief obstacle to progressive
lairying is carrying it on in slip ,,
hod manner without the we'll balanc-
ID, intensive methods so important
o profitable milk production. Many 5
airymen attempt to make money {
Without the application of business I
IrIo ,
top guessing, and know for sure S
vhat the results will be Of the diff {
erent operations conducted in diff =
erent ways, and in each case adopt q
he one that will return the most .
roft. 1t is the net result from a 9
ow that tells whether she is making 9
profit or not. We cannot know q
hat that net result is if we do not !;
eep record. i