The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-11-21
Dairy Farming Will
Bring in a Steady
Income Every Year

No other branch OF agriculture has
n quicker turnover than dairy farm
ing. The dairy COW pays for her
board every day. She PAYS with the
finest food in the world, "a commodity
that is always in demand, and in
VI risbly sells for cash. All crcamcrics
pay their patrons once a month and
some remit checks every W weeks
When we contrast the regular cash
income derived from tho sale of
cream with the proceeds from cot
ton, which is received 10 or IL months
after the labor and cost of making it
has been paid by the grower or car
ried on the books of his supply mer-
chant, the advantage of dairying over
cotton is obvious.
But the rapid turnover is only one
advantage Of dairying. There are sew.
eral other advantages that ought to
appeal to many Oklahoma farmers,
particularly those who live in the
upland sections. where the yield of
cotton Is too low 10 make this crop
profitable one year after another,
but where the soil is adapted for the
growth Of pasture n forage crops.
One of these outstanding advantages Is
the building up OF the soil. In some
instances the increased production OF
crops, which follow the generous APP
plications OF barnyard manure, prac-
ticable where dairy cows are kept,
increase the income Of the land own
er as much or more han the sale Of
cream.
To understand the important rela-
ton of the dairy COW 10 soil fertil-
ity it is helpful TO study her man.
ner of life as she eats her food, d.
gests a portion of it and converts
some of it into milk, some into body
tissue and some into hea and energy.
These several operations go on in
the body of the docile COW while she
grazes the tender grass I'm the pasture,
contentedly chews her cud under a
shade tree or lazily dozes in the barn
yard all the while unconscious Of the
important role she plays in the fin
ancial welfare of her owner.
hN BiaAAl'hl IlNilF holA il'h a'N
not concerned with the chemical and
physiological processes which AXE
place in the stomach of the COW ex-
cept those processes which pertain TO
the production Of milk II those
which influence the fertility Of the
land. AS a milk producer and IL soil
builder, the COW should interest her
owner immensely, and he should un'
derstand her in this respect in order
that he may turn to his advantage
those processes which make her 50
useful.
The dairy COW in converting n por'
ton of her food into milk draws heav-
/. lily on these elements in the food
!, which do not affect the fertility Of the
, land. The three essential fertilizing ell
ements, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and
potash, which must be supplied to
> the soil In commercial fertilizers, she
> practically ignores. The analysis OF
0 whole milk shows that It contains bu'
little nitrogen, p%hosphoric acid and
potash. A comparison of the plan
food elements in a ton of the common
{ feeds with the same in q ton Of
G whole milk shows at once why dairy
ing does not exhaust the soil OF III
fertility. For example, a ton Of cotton
seed miel contains a total of 2l'
+ pounds OF nitrogen. phosphoric aci'
and potash, u ton Of cottonseed con
tains l22 pounds. . ton of corn G.
pounds and u ion Of oats contains .
bounds Of these elements. but u tol
: Of whole milk contains only l
n pounds.
1t is obvious that when u ton o
%cottonseed is sold from the farm
n more than six and one.half times a
q much fertility is removed as is cor
tanned in at ton OF milk and in tn
6 sale Of corn and oats more nan tire
times as much fertility as a ton O
: milk. Therefore it Is undoubtedly BET
ter for the land owners to feed crop
to cows and sell cream rather tina
y TO sell the crops. by feeding the crop
to dairy rows the land owner has
; cash income every month in IN
u year. whereas II he sold his crops II
Il would deprive himself of a steady II
y come and at the same time deprive hi
u land of the fertility in the land.
7" Where separators are used and III
u skim milk is fed 10 calves, pigs az
poultry. nearly all Of the is pound
~ OF mineral plant food in the ton {
y whole milk are kept Mt home. TIL
- COW so arangc II that the miner
; plant food extrocted from the feed
used up in making up the oasein {
milk. and this Is separated from III
= cream and left In the skim milk. Tn
= explains why skim milk. balanced wit
calf meal, Is practically as good O
whole milk for feeding young calve
' pigs <nd poultry. Therefore the ma
D. who sells cream does not appreciate
impair the fertility OF his land nc
~ does he lose the full value OF milk 0
n a food for young live stock.
BY choosing his feeds judiciously
dairyman can increase the amount {
plant food In his soil without COS
I For example 1t IL frequently possib
ID to exchange u ton OF feed low
plant food for a ton of rich In plaI
"a food. such an exchange brings
the farm more fertility than was u
If moved. and when the feed Is consume
by the cows the manure has a grea
cr fertilizing value.
,e It Is better to sell cotton seed an
n buy cotton sced meal rather tina
10 feed the cotton seed to cows. hccaus
a meal is a better feed FOR COWS an
because there Is a big gain In plar
.. food, The man who keeps dairy COW
q and grows legumes not only provide
n. the best feeds FOR deirying, but he c'
ID riches his land at the same tim
Is Coarse r%oughages, which COWS eat wit
70 zest, are converted into valuable pr,
I'd duets and yet there is little dra
D - III. f,rAnIlu 81 ~ unn