Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-03
DAIRY EXPERTS STRESS
IMPORTANCE OF BREED
BY MRS. ALICE BASS

over this section of the country.
Several speakers gave valuable in
struction and information on the
dairying industry. H. c. Bates, rep
resenting the Southern railroad, gave
talk on Elbow to select the Cow"
MEN," he said, do not sell cows
that are paying" So it is of SUI
preme Importance toS know now to
select a cow. The only tast abso-
lutely safe is the scales and the
Babcock tester. The best plan, then,
is to begin by buying heifers In
this, he says, the only one VINO has
the advantage of the buyer is the
breeder, as ancestry is very i.r port
ant. He says he had rather have
cow IF unknown record as to her
ability II lie can be sure that her
ancestry On both sides is good. OF
course, both points are important.
A heifer bought for a dairy COW
should be coming in fresh in thirty
to ninety days to be of the greatest
advantage
Mr.. Bates then gave the important
points in testing a COW. The form
important points are the % constitu
ton; (2) capacity, (9) udder.
/. For a strong constitution a COW
should have good width between
front foot or a good lung capacity.
2. Width between ribs shows Ca
pacity for food to be manufactured
into milk.
8. The udder, too, is Of import
ance, as the milk is not stored in
the bag, but made at time Of milk
ing for the most part. To insure
good udders, width across the hip is
important, also large milk veins.
4. The cow for dairying should
have good muzzle or wide nos
iris to insure deep breathing. This
usually will be found where a cow
has good width between the forelegs.
She should have a wide mouth for
taking in food.
A COW should have mild rind
eye, lean neck and shoulders not too
fieshy. Shoulders should come to
point on the back.
There should be good length from
shoulders to hips, good width be-
tween hips, as has already been men
toned, and good length from hip to
rump.
The quality of the skin should be
soft, mellow and pliable and never
tight. Teats should be well placed
at IIlC lOuI COl llCl VI IIlC uOOCL
The Jersey and Guernsey are adj
vised for diaries expecting to sell to
sour cream creameries for butter
making while the Holstein is advised
in chr csc making sections.
The Calf
Mr.. Bates gave some good advice
as to the handling of the calf. He
said it is an erroneous idea that
cows should be thin before coloring.
That COW should be kept in good
condition, thereby insuring strong,
healthy calf, and then the mother
will not have: to use up her feeding
for several days replacing her own
flesh, but. leave it to be curned into
milk. The calf should remain with
mother three to five days, and after
five days be taken away, feeling it
whole milk four or five weeks. fter
fifth or sixth week, begin gradually
to add skim milk until about sixth
day, when whole feed may consist
Of skim milk. By this time, too,
the calf can be fed. When the calf
is two or three days old it should he
examined thoroughly. If rudimen-
tary teats are present, this is the
time to remove them, using little
iodine or disjnfectant. Also, if de-
horning is to be done, this is the
proper time to attend to it.
County Agent Rails also brought
out even more forcibly The import
ance of good breeding.
He says where dairymen are breed
ing for high record in butter fat
the bull should come from line
registering not less than 500 pounds
butter fat per year.
E. Russell, representing the In
ternational Harvester company, from
Mississippi, also gave a very help
full and instructive talk. He said
that wherever the money crop of
the south (cotton) had failed because
Of the boil weevil, people began i'm
mediately to look for another money
crop. He said, of course, cotton
would be always raised, but never
again as prior to 1911-1912.
He said he was in Texas years ago
and that fields were white with cot
ton that this year at the same time
the crop had all been harvested. In
the time of dire need of a money
crop all naturally turned to the
faithful corn, always a friend, faith
full and true.
That, he said, is the reason rail-
roads and organizations of every
kind are pushing this industry, that
it will help every month in the year,
and is line Of the least possible re-
sistance looking toward immediate
help of the financial condition of the
country.
He spoke of the interest women
were taking in this industry. They
| are the ones, he said, with the chill
dren that are the first to suffer and
| their best friends is the dairy COW.
Small Beginning
The industry, he says, is one that
| sticks. In districts that have devel-
oped this industry you cannot drive
them back to entire cotton farming,
| because they realize the great
| benefit of the constant revenue to
| be had from the COW. Not even if
| the boil weevil were exterminated
| would these people be willing to go
| back to cotton as the only money
| crop.
Most people seem to think by
| dairying you mean lots of COWS, big
| concrete barns and other expensive
equipment" he said. A few cows
| is the proposition, handled in addi-
| ton to the farm-Say a new COW
added for each new expense. The
| COW should make the living that is
| taking care of current expenses in
the home. He told of going into
Mississippi and Louisiana when the
boil weevil had ruined all the farm
ers, of how the fertile fields Of