Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-01-22
AMONG THE FARMERS.
&" SPEED THE PLow."

Correspondence on practical Agricultural topic
Il collected. Address all communications u
tended for this department to HHNnI u
HAMMOND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Dem
ocras. Paris. Me-
Sterling Worth Of Good Dairy Cow
For the feed consumed, the dairy COW
produces about four times the food
value in milk that the steer or sheep do
in meat, therefore in many European
countries and even in the eastern states,
when food production became critical, II
is easy to see why meat animals gave
place largely to the dairy COW as
source of animal food. This Ia OF
necessity coming to pass to quite An ex
tent in the central states at the present
time and is likely to remain.
There is no better way that the pas
ture of much of our rough and uu-
tiilabls land can be utilized than 6y
keeping dairy cows. This, together
with q large amount OF rough feed
found growing about the fences of grain
fields, the scattering left IN the held
from small grain, fall pasture from clover
seeding, and also the aftermath In the
meadow, as we'll as a large amount OF
rougha and occasionally some unsal-
able grain, can be utilized best BY feed
ing to live stock, and there Ia no better
kind of live stock for this purpose than
the dairy COW, because, as was said, sne
produces from this feed several times as
much human food as does the steer or
sheep. But this does not mean tha.
any kind of milk production or all kinds
of milk production are or will be proht
able. Present conditions make impera.
tive the elimination of all poor cows and
heifers, but at the same time sound
warning against the slaughter of those
which are productive, for the need oil
more good, efficient COWS grows greater
every day. Dairy farming now ls up
against the real test which haphazard
dsirying cannot Withstand. There is
but one wise way for dairymen to move
At present and that is to weigh and
test the milk of every COW In the
herd often enough to determine her
production, and then hang on to the
good cows and their heifers and send
the poor ones to the butcher.
In q little circular just published oy
the U. 8. Department OF Agriculture
Wastes the Leaks in Nations
Strength''-it Is shown that II each
family in the United States wasted one
half cup of milk per day 1t would mean
over 22S, ,OOO, 900 gallons annually or the
total product of 400, 900 cows for year,
and If each person wasted one pat OF
butter Il "a lb.) per day it would make
ia, ,OOO, 900 pounds per year or the prod
uct of over one-half million cows.
Tremendous as these wastes are,
which the Department of Agriculture
hasiwisely called TO the attention or the
public. they are small indeed BY the
side of the waste from keeping the
poorest one third Of the cows in the
Uuited States. These 7,OOO,OOO poor
cows that actually lack, under normal
conditions, over 81 each OF paying
market price for their feed and care,
consume the equivalent In feed OF the
producing capacity of.the whole fertile
state of Illinois andllack over $50, ,OOO,-
600 of paying for this and their keep.
Ia contrsst.with this, the best third not
only paw for their feed and keep but
make clear profit OF over sl9O,OOO,0Oo
annually.
ItIislestimated that,,sons-sixthl..of:: the
milk produced by the cows In the
United States Is used lfor .sthe flood OF
babies and children. This would mean
that the product of 8 8 million OF cows
goes for this mportantlpurpose alone In
the United States.
The warning countries OF Europe have
suffered tremendously from the lack OIL
dairy products. Our government hopes
to profit by the experiences OF our allies
and guards against making the same
mistakes, and certainly We should take
every precautiop to prevent such
catastrophe as severe scarcity OF dairy
products. Sending our good dairy stock
TO the shambles must produce this con.
dition not only during tho war but
necessarily for several years following,
inasmuch as q good dairy herd 10 years
in the making. This Is more especially
true when il Is necessary to start with
COWS of medium or low production. IL
will certainly pay in the long run to
keep all good cows and we'll bred helfers
and feed and care for them we'll.
The only proper view to take OF
question like this is the long view and
from the long time standpoint; sacr'nc-
ing good cows and hsifers that nave
taken the hard and careful work OF past
generations to bring into being, must
result in q great loss, not only 10 the
individual dairyman and the dairy inter-
eats, but also to the country At large.
The good efficient dairy COW 10 bound
TO endure and We have comparatively
few of this quality. 1t Is just az essential
TO q wise policy of conservation ana
the economical support of the nations
that good cows and heifers DO not
sacrificed as it is that non-prOducers be
NO longer kept or food thrown out OF
the back door. We need to save nothing
in all agricultural production more than
the good, high producing cow. There
have long been good cows, great pro-
ducers and long lived, but their worth
has been little realized or appreciated oy
their owners, because 1t has been con-
cealsd by the poor COWS in the same
herd.
II every dairy farmer is to do his part
for the nation, be must realize clearly
the real folly of keeping poor COWS, a3d
40 prevent the great and sinful waste OF
profitless human toll.
1t is nothing short of q calamity 70
continue keeping poor cows and raising
their heifers In these times Of high feed
prices and short food supply, and 1t 10
even a greater calamity to sacrifice the
good, high producing cows and snelr
hsifers, for never have We needed tne
good COW so much as now.-WnBER j.
FRASER, Professor Of Dairy Farming,
University Of Illinois.