Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-11-06
Should An fieifers be Ra,seda ?

Should All fieifers be Raiseda
ECONOMY, conservation, and efficiepc
have no worse foe than the ineficien
farm animal.
Animals are expensive producers o
human food for the reason that the,
consume much more digestibls nutri
ents IN their food than they return II
animal products. Even the very bes
animals return only small percentag,
In the form Of food for man. For thi,
reason in these times of high erair
prices only the most efficient animall
should be raised If we are to maintain
the proper balance between different
needed food products and prices PAID
for them.
Some 60 so far as TO say We should
eliminate our animals almost entirely to
secure the most efficient results. Bui
those who make this statement fail to
realize that from the crops raised in the
ordinary rotation necessary for the besl
production of grain, less than one half
of the total digestible nutrients con
tanned In all Of these crops Is available
for the food of man. Therefore, the
by-products from our different agricul
tural crops must be at least partially
utilized In the feeding of farm animals II
we are to conserve to the best advantage
and keep proper balance Of the food
supply from our farms. To obtain the
best results then, animals must be con-
sidered in our farming methods or q
large amount Of the food value of our
agricultural crops will be wasted. But
as the demand for human food becomes
greater, it is increasingly important to
feed these products to such animals as
are capable of returning the largest
possible percentage of the energy which
these foods contain.
Since certain amount of animal food
Is essential to the well-being and health
of the people; as babies and invalids
cannot be properly nourished on grain
and vegetable food alone; and a. the
dairy COW is the most economical pro-
ducer of human food of any Of our
domestic animals, she is to be considered
in the production of animal products at
the present time, and is vital factor In
the country's food supply.
But the efficiency of the COW that is
kept is of even greater Importance under
these conditions than 10 times past, and
IL there was ever q time since the world
began when the production of every in
dIvidual COW should be determined and
not only the inefficient ones but their of
spring As we'll go to the shambles, IL is
now. To substantiate this statements let
us look st some of the conditions actual
ly existing in the dairy herds.
This department has tested a large
numbe of cows in the dairy herds in
different parts of the state. The poorest
one-third of these cows produced an
average of 1854 pounds of milk and 1S4
pounds of butter fat annually, each COW
lacking about 500 of paying for her
keep. Like begets like, 80 wherein lies
the wisdom of saving heifer calves from
such cows as these, where Q portion OF
the feed consumed only helps to aug
ment the manure pile?
While grains have increased In price,
the prices of dairy products have not
kept pace with them In the same ratio,
and why sell grain at $50 per ton to the
dairy COW when the price at the elevator
or the feed store Is two or three times
this amount? This is only q monetary
consideration and takes no account OF
the actual loss of grain consumed. why
should anyone want to expend his time,
energy, and money In raising heifers
from such poor cows, or even continue
keeping cows which not. only fail
to nav for their keep, but lose money
for their owner, besides wasting grain
80 much needed In these trying times.
Yet IL has been advocated recently that
all heifers should be raised.
The essential thing in farming opera
ton 10 balance. The man who Keeps
such COWS as these and raises the heifer
calves from them fails to balance bis
output with his income. In other
words. he fails to compare the cost OF
Grain. time. etc, consumed In keeping
an insfficient COW with the income re-
ceiyed from her dairy products.
As there are about twenty-five MIL
lion dairy cows in the United States, tne
poorest one third would comprise over
seven million of that number. This
means that the poorest one-tbird OF the
dairy COWS 10 losing about hfty million
dollars A wear to the dairyman and TO
the nation. The country would actually
he better off were these COWS all
slaughtered. No thinking man is going
to raise hsifer calves from cows OF TINS
sort and spell failure for himself, besides
hs;ng labeled q waster of needed food.
The middle third of COWS averaged
| 600 lbs. milk and 1913 lbs. fat. IL VIII
AXE practically all of the profit made on
This middle third to make up the loss on
ths poorest third. On the other nan9,
| In contrast with the poorest one-third,
ths heat ous-third of the cows averaged
| a 7s5 bounds milk and 27S pounds OF rat.
each COW making an annual prons VI
about $27, besides paying Market pr,co
| for her feed and ell items inciuded 10 nor
keep. The production and prons from
the best third of the cows tested SHOWS
that va have an enormous number OF
high producing profitable cows from
which the dairy herds should % re-
plenished.
Tndsr past conditions there has been
trsmendous waste Of energy caused oy
ksanipg moor COWS, and II there was
svar a time this great waste should Do
s,onned IL 10 now. It would be the
.orst nossible economy to raise heller
csIvss from poor COWS in these times OF
Sieh grain prices, and the dairymen VINO
Ala 40 would simply be intensifyi9g
,hs,r chances for failure. Under ordi-
nsrv - Conditions 1t 10 certainly not wise 10
ave the heifer calves from the losing
hsH of the cows and under present CON
d;s;ons IL 10 criminal to consider raising
the heifer calves from anything put Cow =.
-hose production Is on the credit Side OF
shs balance sheet. and Thioh VIII pay
nrs.snt market price for food, housing,
pnd labor. and leave Q profit besides.
life 10 not always smooth, easy saiI,ne
| md II n for our best development tna'
r. II no. Many of our troubles come
from sttem pting to do what should NOT
he done. A good part of our stndy ~
s0r;culture 10 an attempt to learn now ~
sSsnt our efforts to nature. The dsi,y
ss,msr has one Of these lessons strongty
no,nssd out to him st present.
To keep the dairy herds repieosneu
.,,S iusure cows. is is necessary to save
~ 49, hsifer calves from the best third OF
shs ss covs and these are the ones, u Q,
gSHu g,s, IA, their part in making . Living
for the milk producer and . ge.ssr ,ocJ
.upoly for the world -wIIsss