The Ordway new era., 1921-01-28
DAIRY VIEWS OF
0TER0 FARMER
BY j. F. coNDER.

Editors Note: Mr.. Conder ia one
of the farmers in the La Junta dis
trict and recently wrote somewhat at
length regarding the dairy business.
to the La Junta Tribune His article
follows:
In my opinion It IL profitable for
tho average farmer to milk D few
cows. have not found the dairy
business to be . get rich quick
scheme, but 1 do not hesitate to say
that have found my cows to be the
most dependable asset on the farm.
The hail storms, the web worms, the
grasshoppcrs, and other enemies of
our crops may put the balance In the
wrong column OF the ledger, but old
Bessie keeps right on doing business
at the milk pail. Ten OF twelve cows
can be cared for ON the average farm
without the loss Of much time from
tho field work.
Seventy-five per cent of my milk
ing is done by two school boys, eleven
and thirteen years of age, without
the loss OF an hours time from their
school The cows will convert into
cash lot of farm roughage that
would otherwise 6e of little value,
and they add materially to the fertil-
ity of the farm; besides the monthly
milk check of $3.50 to SITS is rather
useful to most farmers in keeping up
current expenses.
KEEP BETTER COWS
believe IL the farmer will keep
better cows-fewer If necessary
take better care of them, and keep a
record of what they are doing for
him, he will be convinced that they
are paying him better returns for the
money and labor invested than any
other line of his farm work. If the
COWS are not profitable, make them
produce more milk for the feed con-
sumed If they won't do it. get cows
that will. In other words. make
two blades of grass grow where one
grew before. and eventually 1t may be
necessary to make even third grow.
We will accomplish this by learning
more about the dairy business, using
better sires and breeding better
stock.
CHANGE THE SLOGAN
Since the coming of the condensary
we have often seen the slogan. Milk
More Cows; would suggest that we
change this to read, Milk Better
Cows" In support of this theory, l
will give my own experience. Dur
ing the year 1917 l MIXED eleven
cows, representing about as many
breeds and colors. but representa-
tive herd for the community at that
time. l kept no individual records
ihen as do now, but we supplied the
table, and fed the calves as usual, and
marketed 1892 pounds of milk for
the year. amounting to $450.67. The
standard price for milk that year
ranged from $500 per hundred
weight in June. to $3.1O in January.
My milk averaged $2.45 per hundred
weight Early in January 1918, !
sold four of these cows and bought
another "speckled" one, and took a
little better care of the eight cows
now had by building and filling silo
so as to have better feed for them.
That year, after supplying the table
and feeding the calves, we marketed
1868 pounds of milk, which
amounted to $588.25, an average OF
s2.98 per hundred weight.
HE UNLOADED QUICKLY
BY this time was disgusted-not
with the dairy business-but with
the cows had. In January, 1919.
man came along looking for butcher
stuff. l had several head, such as
he wanted, and after a few days OF
dckering, l sold him everything IN
the lot, with the exception OF an old
family COW. l spent the next year In
betllHB LOBotneT OeIIcT uuhCh oA
cows. l got back on the job May l.
1926, with nine cows. Six Of them
were two year old heifers, with their
first calf. From May /, 1920, to
January l, 1921, we have fed nine
calves by the usual method-mtlk
and calf meal-and have sent to mar
ket S6.420 pounds of milk. which
amounted to $1,0O8.16. an average OF
s2.76 per hundred weight. These
COWS are producing milk now at the
rate OF 160 to ITO pounds per day,
with one dry and otLcrs that will be
J." dry soon. With four months yet
needed to complete years work,
Icy will run right around 1,6OO Tor
IN" year. and have nine good calves
which are worth something. From
May to October 1, these cows pas
iured on dry land pasture, had hay in
the lot at night and were fed bran
ana corn at the rate of one pound for
every five pounds of milk. Since -Oc-
Iober 1st. they have had hay in dry
iot, and ensilage at the rate of about
iorty pounds per COW per day. This
ehsiiage is made of corn that was
nailed off SO badly in July. that it
would have made but very little corn
to shuck out.
CONTINUES IMPROVEMENT
l am not telling this as a "record
nreaker." but for the purpose Of
showing the difference between poor
COWS and better cows. still have