The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1919-12-10
SCRUB JERSEY BULL HAS RUN
QUALITY OF HERDS DOWN.
GET RID OF HIM.
MILKING SHORTHORHS GOOD
The Family Needs a Cow That viii
Produce Much Rich MIX, and a
Calf That Will Sell For Beef,
Says Murphy.


Extension, University of Tennessee
One has to take but a short trip IL
most any direction within the state
outside of the dairy districts to Learn
that the average farmer, the man witt
a farm of 100 acres or less, and from
one to four cows, is longing for rea
family cow He needs more milk fol
home use. He doesn't want to go into
dairying. Perhaps he would if he had
4 market for surplus butterfat, but un
less thru cooperative efforts a cream
route be established by his front door
he is rarely justified in striving to pro.
\duce more than an abundant supply
of milk for the home, the children, the
calves, anG bit for the pigs and
chickens.
Well, one might wonder why hasn't
he a satisfactory COW. He has been
farming long time, certainly long
enough TO have developed a cow suit
ed to his conditions. But let us see
what has happened. Twenty or more
years ago he had or big red cows
which furnished is\family plenty of
milk and each raised a good calf
Competition of beef cattle from the
western ranges was at that time so
strong that these good calves were Of
time when the calf was considered a
nuisance rather than an asset.
About the same time the Jersey COW
was at the height Other glory in Ten
nessee, and no state ever produced
more good Jerseys or more ardent adj
mirers of them. She was hailed far
and wide as the ideal family COW. She
required very little feed and produced
very rich milk; and the calf was OF
small Importance, anyway. All OF
which was very true at that time, and
today the Jersey has no superior as an
economical producer of good milk and
butter But it wasn't the COW that did
the damage. She produced a calf, and
tho it wasn't worth anything, it was
such comedy, farm-like creature that
no one had the heart to dispose Of 1t,
and thus did the country far and wide
become populated with Jersey bulls.
Had conditions remained as they
were at that time we might today have
nothing to regret, but twenty years
have marked wonderful chaEse in
the beef cattle producing area of our
country. In 1900 Il ere were 50 head
of cattle of all kinds per leo of human
population. In 1870 the number had
deceased to g. per 100, and on Jan.
Gary l, 1919, to 81 per 100, The num-
Der Of cattle other than dairy cows
was 81 per 100 people in 1900 In 1910
this number had decreased to 45 per
100, and on January l, 1919, to - per
100 During the same period dairy
cattle have pretty well held their own
with the increase in population, tor in
1900 there were % per 100 people; in
1910, %, and on January l, 1919, there
were D.
Let us observe what this decline
has meant. In 1906 the beef exports
Of the United States reached summit
of 73l 100000 pounds, and at that time
there was only trace of imports A
doWn-hill course followed, and by tie
year 1914, the imports exceeded the
exports by 100000 pounds. In that
year our imports were $4,000 600
pounds, and our exports less, than =
100000 pounds.
Since that time under the stress Of
war, and the needs of our Allies for
food supplies our exports Of beef have
been greatly increased; this has been
done, not by increased production, but
at the expense of our own normal
home consumption and Of our -four .da-
ton cattle stocks as intimated by the
above ratio Of cattle to population
This great decrease in our prOduc-
ton of beef cattle is, of course, at
tributable to the fact that our great
western range area has gradually been
lessened during this period by ing
settlers fence off farm after farm and
place 1t under cultivation. But, in the
these Jersey bulls and their
male offspring have pretty
well succeeded in destroying all of the
natural beef-producing ability Of the
average farmers COW and unfortunate
~ her milking capacity as well. Now
that the calf has become of so much
importance and will continue to be.
come of much greater Importance. the
name of Jersey COW is brought into
disrepute, and her progeny is cursed
the land. Unfortunate in
a way it is for her that her blood has
so great prepotency for even unto the
tenth generation removed, she is still
given credit for the yellow-b backed,
steer that shows up in
the feed lot with such remarkably reg.
ularity.
SO, the farmer is again today look.
Ing for a COW that will first of all pro
vide him better home milk supply
md will produce profitable calf
Some one suggests, why not start all
over again and take the Jersey? Jer.
sey heifers are very much in demand
good dairy cattle are very scare. All
Of which is true, If all the calves would
only be heifers, but what about the
bulls7 Good yearling Jersey heifers
are worth say 500; good yearling
beef calves, both steers and heiferS