The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-08-13

Professors Fraser and Brand in
their introduction TO Bulletin 164 or
the University Of Illinois Agricultural
Experiment Station say: "One OF the
greatest problems In successful dairy
ing is to obtain good COWS. The fact
that every year 1t is becoming more
difficult to buy really efficient pro-
ducers makes it clear that the surest,
most economical and most satisfactory
way to build up an efficient dairy
herd, or to keep 1t supplied with good
cows after it is once established, Is to
raise the heifer calves from the best
cows bred to a good, pure bred dairy
sire. Furthermore, unless a dairy
man raises the heifer calves with
which to replenish his herd, 1t is al
most impossible to keep the herd free
from tuberculosis and contagious
abortion.
Calf raising should be a part of
the dairyman's business; he has the
breeding stock, the feed and the
equipment, and knowing the parent
age Of the calves, he need save only
those from high producing dams. Yet.
despite the fact that the evidence is
so completely in favor Of dairymen
raising their heifer calves, hundreds
Of them defeat their own welfare by
making no effort to raise even the
pest OF LQ0lT Q61I6r Calves.
Every authority that has ever dis
built up and made more profitable has
taken the same position and said
practically the same thing as Profess
sors Fraser and Brand. This prin-
ciple Is at the foundation Of the de-
velopment of all our great dairy
breeds and Of all our great dairy
herds. It Is the only certain and &C.
onomical system by which an aver
age producing herd can be built up in
to high producing herd, bringing a
real profit to its owner.
growth and development made pos =
sible by increased efficiency.
Efficiency in any business means
success.
Real success In dairying is possible
only with a constantly improving herd
all the COWS of which make efficient
use Of their feed to produce milk.
We never saw a man make sue
cess OF the dairy business who had
not sold many Gull animals. Did
you?
we never heard of a man making
success In dairying who sold his
good cows, or wore them out and re-
placed them with some other mans
culls. Did you?
We never knew a man to fail who
bred Up his herd-saved the good and
sold the poor producers, always using
o good sire, and properly fed and
cared for the herd and the product.
Did you?
We would cali any man a failure
who would sell the good cows and
would you call him?
Then what shall we say Of the man
who depends on buying the culls from
the successful herd to maintain his
own herd?
When land and labor and feed and
stabling were cheap almost any kind
of cow would do. The writer, when
a boy, was many times put astride
the old grey mare on Saturday morn
ing, with basket containing q roll or
two Of butter slipped over his arm,
and sent to town to trade the butter
at 10 cents and 10 cents per pound for
was then worth only $40. 90 per acre;
hired man got SIS 90 per month; the
mills were running bran into the
creeks. II didn't make SO much
difference then whether we were
milking $50 pound cows or 800 pound
cows, because 800 pounds Of butter
was only worth $40. 90 to S25. 90
more than $50 pounds.
Now, with good land worth twenty
1--WE to thirty times as much as then,
lumber worth three to four times as
much, labor four to five times as
much and feeds. proportionally higher,
the fat produced by a 500 pound cow
Is worth from $50. 90 to 500. 90 more
than that produced by q 100 pound
COW.
Enough to pay for raising a good
heifer calf to replace your poor COW,
isn't 1t? Yet this is the difference for
only one year. Are you sure some
thing like it isn't happening on your
farm1
common cows, kills or sells his calves
and buys cows In the market will be
milking about the same quality of
COWS when he gets through as he had
when he started.
He cannot make much progress.
The man who starts in the business
at the same time, with the same class
Of COWS. the same feeds. help and
buildings. and breeds his best cows to
o good pure bred dairy sire and saves
and properly raises the heifers will
easily one half more product from his
young COWS than the cows in his first
herd gave him.
That 10 Real Progress.
And that is the cheapest and oniy
practical way to progress in the dairy
business.
Unless the raw product is economic
ally produced, no system Of marketing
or care can ever bring success.
This brings US to the proposition
We started to write about-the calf.
One. She must be of good parent.
age-from q good producing dam and
sired by a bull descended from high
producing ancestors. Like tends to
produce like" is an old and true
he calf from good producing an.
ocstors is Just as sure TO make q
profitable cow as the calf from poor
producing ancestors Ia to mako an
unprodtabls cow. +
Two. The calf must be properly
started 10 he, in a clean staI1, or
bsttsf sttn, ID the pasture II the
weather h warm and dry. She mast
be given the mothers first milk for
day or two, and must have whole
milk for few days.
Tho most fatal disease among
young calves is white scours." The
symptoms are generally sunAen eyes
and frequently swstisd joints. Tbs
eaH Is drowsy and Ia pain. White
scours Is generally II not always
caused by en- infection Of the nayai at
the time tho eaH Is dropped, OF
before the MAYED has thoroughly head