Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-05-28
SOUTH SHOWS BIG GAIN
IN PROMOTING DALRYING

More than 100000 pounds of but
ter was made by SO creameries in
the southern states in the year end
ing December 81, 1919. Thirty of the
50 cheese factories scattered through
out the mountain regions turned out
481,000 pounds of Cheddar cheese.
Silos, modern dairy barns, and pure
bred dairy COWS are becoming COM
mon. Fifteen years ago dairying
as an industry had been scarcely
started in the southern states" said
a specialist in the dairy division,
United States department Of agricul-
ture. 1.-THE south probably has made
more progress in the last thirteen
years than any other section of the
country. The increase din the number
of dairy COWS from 1907 to 1920 was
more than so per cent. The increase
for the entire United States during
the same period was 1873 per cent"
While this increase in number of
COWS has been large, it is pointed out
by men working comparatively with
the federal government and the state
agricultural colleges that the i'm
provement in quality has been of
even greater Importance. Purebreds
have been shipped in every year in
large numbers, and great interest mas
been shown in the use of purebred
sires. There are now forty-e1ght bull
associat lions in these states. The lat
est census figures available snow
there are 5,184 head of purebred
dairy cattle in South Carolina and
1856 in Virginia.
Dairy Improvement Has Been
Gradual
DAIRY development began in the
southern states shortly after 1906"
said one of the specialists, "but the
Improvement was slow at first. 1t
was difficult to convince cotton grow
ers in my territory that there was
anything for them in dairying. But
an object lesson was found finally
that convinced them. On one side
of road was field of cotton that
yielded two bales per acre; on the
other side a field gave half bale.
The farm that grew two bales to the
and the manure had produced the
change. Farmers were taken from
miles around to see those two fields.
This little demonstration illus
trates the purpose for which dairy
cows were recommended in sections
u luC SOuLII"l1OI " 1Ildh6 ud1I l1iS9
a major industry, but rather to es-
tablish a system that would supply
the home demand for dairy products,
and at the same time build up and
plying manure and by enforcing a
proper rotation of crops. This would
make possible the production of cot
ton and other staple crops at greater
profit. This was the aim of the
southern dairy extension work, the
first large-scale extension project at
tempted, which was started under the
direction of the dairy division of
the department of agriculture IN
1906, and carried forward co-opera-
state agricultural colleges"
One Of the first things corrected
was the poor feeding methods. Cot
tonseed meal and bulls formed the
basis of the ration; farmers had no
knowledge of balanced rations; slIos
We're few in number, and it was not
known generally that they could be
built by farm labor. A few silos
were erected in 1906, as demonstra-
tions, and the idea began to grow
slowly in popularity. Feed and pro-
duction records, introduced into sew,
eral herds in each state in 1906 and
1907, proved the value OF Sllage.
With silos once firmly established,
better barns, better methods, ana
demand for better cattle soon fol-
Stage Cheapens Cost Of Production.
The value of silage compared with
cottonseed hulls was very StflKlng'
even in the days when hulls were
only 81 or SIS a ton. dairy farm
near Biloxi, Miss, whtre 40 tons of
silage was fed instead of cottonseed
hulls, reported saving OF SOU Tor
the winter.
There are no figures showing how
many silos have been built since
1906, but some idea of the, great
number may be gained from the fact
that the extension men assisted dl-
rectly in putting up 1,741. These
silos served as demonstrations, and
as a result many other silos. were
built in the various communities.
"From a local standpoint" writes
one of the federal agents of the
dairyfng in the boil weevil DISTRICTS
of Mississippi has been one OF the
greatest achievements. Anyone ace
Guainted with the dependency OF
farmers in 1912 in southern M1ssls-
sippi, and who was enabled later TO
see the change wrought by the dairy
cows, will agree that enthusiasm Tor
dairying is we'll founded in a region
that was Laundering for some means
of livelihood, now chaenged to
supplying whole milk for New Or
leans and other points. This means
good methods are being used.