Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1918-05-30
The Story of Jones
OF Montgomery County
Nv Alfred Division of Extension

There are many farmers who will
feel, we believe, more than passing in
terest in the story of man, who, after
years of Improbable farming, was
able, by taking thought, to increase his
income over $500 in one year.
This man we will call Jones. Jones
is a Montgomery County farmer. The
figures from his business are taken
from careful estimates for the first
year, and from actual records the
second.
Jones was like a man with a pain
in his back who has tried everything
from pills and pellets to poultices and
plasters and found no relief. Jones'
farming was an ever-present ache. He
had experimental with all sorts of
treatments; he had changed from sell
ing milk to selling cream and again to
making butter; he had fed grain and
he had gone without grain. But the
business became no better, the pocket
book put on no weight, the bank ac-
count remained thin and anaemic.
Jones Weighs His Milk.
Finally Jones did an unusual thing.
firing of the blind turning from one
nostrum to another, he began real
search for the cause or causes of the
trouble. He suspected that there was
something wrong with his dairy. The
milk pals did not seem as full as they
should be. So his first move was to
weigh each cows milk daily. While
this put no more milk in the pail, it
did bring Jones face to face with the
fact that his cows were not producing
as freely as common experience has
indicated they must produce in order
to prove profitable. After giving the
matter considerable thought and talk
ing it over with his friends he decided
that it was not fair to condemn his
cows on the evidence of the milk
scales alone. He decided that they
were not so fed that they could pro-
duce well, even tho they were natur-
ally good dairy animals. Moreover, it
hardly seemed like good economy to
try to bring back Immediately all the
cows to full production. He put into
practice a plan for feeding each cow
we'll before she calved, putting her
into condition to produce, and then of
giving her an opportunity to demon
strate her ability. Some of the cows
surprised Mr.. Jones by their splendid
response. A few others showed little
inclination to work and were sold for
beef.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Jones had gone fur
ther He had made as careful an esti-
mate of his business for the previous
year as he could from memory and
such figures as he had. In this he
found that, as nearly as he could de-
termine, he had sold during the year
s36 worth of butter for each cow in
his herd. His figures for the year fol-
lowing the change show that the cows
produced on an average $78 worth of
butter, which, with less cows, meant
an increase in income Of 1856 over the
previous year; this in spite Of the fact
that the changes were made gradually
turnout the year, so that they had not
in many cases had an opportunity to
be operative for more than short
time.
Studies His Business.
Satisfied that his efforts with his
cows were ia the right direction, he
made a more careful study Of his bust
ness of the previous year. When he
had set down his receipts and expenses
In orderly fashion. his figures looked
Hike this:
Receipts.
Cattle sold ..........$ $4,000