The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1915-06-03
Essay on Stock Farming.
BY Alfred Rindah1

BY Alfred Rindah1
The grain farmer has learned that
raising grain on his land year after year
deprives the soil of it's fertility, and if
he keeps on long enough he will not be
able to raise anything at all. II, in
stead. he. raised more grass for hay and
pasture and fed the grain to stock he
would save most of the fertility of the
soil.
As the price of land is increasing the
demand for greater yield per acre will
naturally follow; therefore the condi-
ton of the soil has to be considered.
Stock raising (whether for beef or
dairying) will do away with the difficult
ty of retaining the fertility Of the soil
as most of the fertility can be returned
to the soil in the form of manure.
Glover and alfalfa are two valuable
feeds for dairy COWS, therefore the dairy
man must raise these crops on his land,
thereby enriching his soil as clover and
alfalfa are soil builders.
Stock raising especially dairying will
do great deal towards building up the
industry of this county and believe it
will be one of the chief industries of the
county sometime.
It takes great deal of money and la
Dor to prepare the soil for cultivation in
this county, it would therefore be wise
to plant crops that can be fed to stock.
Conditions here and in the prairie re-
gion differ greatly; there they can start
blowing right away. In this part of
the country all the trees. stumps, brush
and rocks have to be removed before the
soil can be titled.
One of the most important items in
successful dairying is breeding. If q
dairyman paid no heed whatever to
breeding he would have herd of poor
dairy qualities in few years. Keeping
a pure bred sire of good dairy qualities
is most important in building up good
dairy herd. The average farmer neg.
lects this important point.
Feeding, housing and care are also
very important. The modern dairyman
takes great care in feeding his COWS. He
tries to get the maximum quantity out
of his herd at least cost; he raise most OF
his feed on the farm.
He also considers quality in products
as important as quantity.
A dairy COW requires feed that con-
tains high per cent of protein in orde,
to produce good amount of milk and
yet keep her body in a fair condition
Feed that contains high per cent Of
protein is costly. Alfalfa is high in
protein therefore the dairyman should
try to raise this crop.
Great care should be taken in having
as clean quarters for the COWS as posi-
BILE. There should be some sort of ven.
tiJation; if there isn't any the air will
become impure and damp and have 9
strong odor. There should be many
windowsto insure plenty light.
The use of the Babcock test and the
scales enables the dairyman to find out
the production of each of his COWS. He
will then be able to weed out the poo,
ones and breed from the better ones.
Good quality in dairy products de.
mands absolute sanitary conditions in
the barn and in the milk room. The
milk room should be free from foreign
odors as milk and butter are quick tt
absorb any strong odors that are present
in the air. Products gotten under sani-
tary conditions bring a higher price al
the market.
There has been movement towards
establishing creamery in Grand Ma
rails (being the contra! point of Cool
county, It will inoite the farmers tt
get more dairy stock, and tend towardl
the development of agriculture of tn,
county.
! ALFRED RINDAHL,