Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-09-30
That Dairy Cow


The dairy COW was never 3 great
er factor in the health of nation
than at the present time. Never
in our history probably have edible
fats been searcer or higher than
they are at present. Unfortunately
there is no relief in sight for con-
siderable period of time because
European dairy herds suffered more
as a result of the war probably than
any other class of animals. This was
due not only TO their destruction
over large sections of the invaded
territory, but to the fact that fodder
was so scarce and high in price
that many dairy COWS had to be
slaughtered. 1t also happened that
the cows kept could not be fed suf-
fieient1y we'll to stimulate milk pro-
duction, and it will be some months
before a return to anything like
normal conditions in the matter of
feed supplies can be expected. The
Importance of the COW, however, as
a national asset cannot be over-em-
phasized,
1t will be interesting, even though
astonishing news to our people, to
knew that while England has lost
a million men in the war she has
in q measure offset this tremendous
Aoss by taking better care of the
mothers and babies during the WAR
period than she did in peace time.
This seems to be an anomalous Sit
uation and at first apparently I'M
eXnlainahle. 1t would indicate on
the surface that England has APP
parently not diminished her dairy
herds and that she had an album
DANCE of food for them. The OPP
posite Of this, however. is true.
How, then, was this apparent mir
aCle brought about? Simply by
the fact that the government through
it's food administration took over
the control of milk and butter IN
ENGLAND, and by regulating the con-
sumption of butter and forbidding
the use of milk except to those
confined in hospitals and for mothers
and children made the reduced supply
available and sufficient to meet the
needs of the population. Thus by
this drastic action of government,
Great Britain was able to save q
larger percentage of the childrne
horn than ever before in her history.
Two things are evident from this.
First, that milk is the essential
Necessity to the child, and, second,
to the mother as we'll. In peace
times when the cost of milk was
left to be regulated by the so-called
law of supply and demand thousands
of poor people in England could not
purchase it in competition with the
/ ich. and hence there was an appal-
liu" death rate among the children,
which was materially overcome by
the governments taking control of
the distribution OF milk and butter
during the war period. This illus
trp ties and teaches a wonderful les
son and shows that in some in
stances government control Is All un-
disguised BLESSING No doubt if con.
Gitions which pertained in England
in pre-war times were true now We
WCuld observe the same large per-
centage of death losses among chill
dren which pertained during that
period. a.
There is another matter to which
public attention should be directed at
this time, and it is the slight increase
in population which is taking place
among Anglo-SaXon speaking people
1t is g fact that if the present birth
rate continues this race is bound to
be dominated by other races which
are more prolific or else the whole
civilized world as we know it will
eventually disappear. There are
great issues involved, therefore, in
association with the idea of expand
ing and increasing the output of our
dairiGs. The encoura cement of this
industry is little short of national
necessity. and so anything which
can be done to drive this truth home
and to induce everyone so situated to
keep q dairy COW should be under
taken. In spite of high prices for
foods and labor and the inconvenien-
ces one may experience, there is no
institution which may be associated
with the home capable of rendering
1t so great a service and supplying it
with so much desirable and essential
food at relatively small cost than
can be attained through the main
tenance Of a COW.
There are lots of people on the
verge of giving up their cows no mat
ter where they are situated. They
are burdened by the labor involved in
caring for the COW. The dairy uten
Sils have to be washed and put away
twice a day. In the eyes Of many
the COW is a nuisance. If cotton is
bringing a big price and there is a
demand for such crops as peanuts
and for such animals as hogs, why
trouble about the dairy COW? Simply
because she is one Of those institu-
tons with which we cannot dispense
except at a loss we cannot dispense
interests. To those who have a COW
therefore, let me say, keep her. To
those who do not possess a cow and
can secure one, buy one.
OF course, a COW must have some
range on which to gather food She
must have a suitable stable in which
to live. But there are literally