Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-12-10
AMONG THE FARMERS. i
"sPhHD rHl PLow."

II -
"sFnlD rHl PLow."
CosTespcadenoe on pracs,cal asriculsursl tonic
co10eo. .Addreos al communication In
9nood foI this department. to HUDY d
ac1.e an1.2: S.1:. Agricultural EDITOR Oxford ren
Dairy Calf Club Movsment..
20. 3. George. Indiana. In Hoard's Dairyman.,
The dairying in future years will
depend quite largely upon ono essential
consideration II the industry ID to meas
ure up to the constructive thought OF
our present day leaders In the dairy
world. First Of all there must be devel-
oped generation of real dairy farmers
super breeders and super feeders-who
can in turn take the cattle from our
present day herds and develop more
perfect animals with still greater eff
cheney. True 1t is that the bsttsrmeut
OF our dairy COWS is an important factor
10 dairy Improvement and true Il ID thai
1.-THE sire 10 half the herd" and ought to
be given high rank - influencing the
future of dairying.
But, may I ask, what would become
Of ell these herds and their sires II We
do not at the same time develop future
herdsmen and breeders to carry on the
constructive lines of breeding that are
represented In present day herds? Just
think Of this for moment and you will
RaNan -harA hpna4opo
have developed great herds only to have
them degenerate In the hands of . sue
cessor. Too often this has been true Of
fathers and sons, especially whore the
boys have not had real interest In the
affairs of the farm at that age when
their minds were developing and their
ideals were being formed. = In many
instances the boys have, however, been
given real chance. Their desire for
ownership was fulfilled In q calf or .
COW Of their own which they paid for
from their savings or by their work;
their spirit Of competition and adventure
was realized when their own heifer
. years record with so lbs.
of butterfat more than the fsvorite from
their fathers herd or when they were
given an opportunity to show their good
young things ut the county fair; and
desire to do better was created when at
this same show q neighbor farmer, or
possibly his boy, brought ont calf that
stood ahead when the ribbous were tied
by the judge. Boys Of this kind can
easily start where their fathers left of
and continue the gradual Improvement
in the herds under their charge.
DEVELOPING BOYS AND GIRLS.
Clearly then the problem before the
dairy industry Ii q human problem.
The dairymen and breeders Of to-day are
already made. Many good ones have
been lost to the industry through lack
Of encouragement and opportunity and
those that We have will deviste but little
from the methods and practices which
their early training has dictated, be 1t
good or poor. But those Of the future
are but boys and girls to-day. They are
10 our schools and on the farms and for
the most part their dairy possibilities
lie dormant. Little bss been done to
awaken their interest and cultivate their
natural desires. Too often they are
poring over books Of history and Ian
guage that not only mean little to them
but also tend to deaden their interest In
all school work.
At just this stage In our dairy develop
ment the "Caf Club Movement" was
started. II came to fill real need and
% we'll has this been done that It has
come to stay. At first It was abused BY;
those who mistook Ito real purpose.
They tried Il % . means Of developing
In Q new country after much
the, Same fashion a. land agents use
newspapers and excursion trains to put
across their deals. They forgot the
boy and girl In their effort to get milk.
They encouraged club members to boy
calves, and then to sell them after .
short period Of ownsrship-a practice
which brands ono - ''cow desier"
rather than breeder. Needless to say
their method was failure. But out OF
it grew . plan that 10 fundamentally
right and 10 accomplishing real results.
This plan called for . club that would
over Q period of from three to
five years. The membership of the club
was to buy calves, not 10 sell but to keep
and to breed.
The basic idea of this new club was
to develop boys and girls. Incidentally
it brought good stock into. the COM
mupity, it demonstrated the results OF
good care and feeding, 1t interested the
in the keeping Of records
and the use Of better sires and through
these things 1t quickened greater com.
mupity interest In the dairy COW. But
lest we forget, We repeat this was only
incidental and decidedly subsidiary to
the real purpose Of the club.
THE INDIANA PLAN.
With these basic principles constantly
In mind, q type of calf club has been
developed in Indiana that 10 giving ex.
cellent results. The clubs are organized
for q period of three years and during
that time the members are continually
com peting for honors In three separate
and distinct yearly contests. One con-
test covers the calf year and aims to
teach and demonstrate the principles OF
good feeding and management OF calves.
The members keep record OF their
rations and feed consumed. 40 we'll a.
the growth and development OF the
calves. At the end of the year they
write q story of their work and show
their calf at tho annual calf club show.
Their standing In the contest is decided
on the basis OF the following scale OF
points:
Individuality and condition OF animal,
40 per cent. ,.114s1,1.
Methods of feeding; rstions selected,
amounts fed, and growth made, 80 per
cent. -.
Records and written story OF the iced
ing, care, management. and cost OF ra's'
ing the calf, so per cent.
The next contest covers tho helfer
,sar and involves in addition to gocd
feeding and management the big prob
lem OF breeding the heifer to q, worthy
bull. At tho close Of, this contest an
other club SHOW Il held and the. follow
fne points are considered in judging the
contest:
Individuality and condition OF animal,
an p0R cent. .---------- --
- n.shod. ~ faAdin0. ratiOna selected,