Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-11
ADVANTAGES OF DARYlNG
TOLD AT MOULTRIE MEET

MOULTRIE, Ga, June 9.-"Don't
go into the dairy business-grow into
it," was the advice given farmers of
several counties in this section by
Morgan Richards, secretary of the
Selma Chamber of Commerce at a
meeting held here Wednesday after
noon. "Try dairying on small
scale at first, gradually learn the
business if you want to make a. sue
cess Ct it. Raise calves and thus in
crease your herd" Mr.. Richards, who
has helped to make Dallas county
Ala, the most successful dairy CEN
ter in the southeast. added.
In the beginning of his address
Mr.. Richards briefly referred to the
I1914 when Dallas county produced a
g., 0O0-bale cotton crop and told how
1t was decided to try dairytng.
"We induced the ice plant at Selma
to put in a small creamery. This in
vestment cost $4,000 and number OF
farmers bought several head of dairy
COWS each. From this nucleus the
grown until the county's dairy prod
ucts in 1920 sold for $2,450,O00. And
in the meantime the ice plant that
invested $4,000 in a creamery now
has an investment of 100000 In
creamery that covers practically an
entire city block" Selma has one
other creamery almost as large. MI.
Richards added.
Points to Danger
'"There is no danger OF oVerdeVei-
oping the dairy industry, but there IS
a, real danger in oVerdeveloplng the
creamery business. 1t will be mis-
take for other points in this section
of Georgia to put in creamerles just
now. The thing or them to DO IS TO
ship their milk to Moultrie, where a
creamery is already in operation, un-
til the industry has been so deVei-
oped that they can furnish enough
milk to supply a plant closer by
Mr.. Richards said. He then stated
that the creamery business was be-
ing. or rather had been, overdevelop-
ed in the Selma district.
Plants have been built IN some
Alabama towns before the dairy IN
dustrv got going and they. couldn't
go.Y Mr.. Richards said that the peo-
Me iof Dallas county had not entire
" escaped, the financial depression
but that thanks to the dairy lndus-
try it was faring better than any
other section in the south.
"We still have farmers that stlck
to cotton and plant nothing else puC
cotton and, the other afternoon wnen
II picked up local paper saw
full page containing tax sales-forc-
ed sales of farms. /, checked the list
and al Iof the farms adVertlseo
were the farms of men who had re-
fused to diversity"
Peter Hayne. one Of the pioneer
dairymen of Dallas county, and SAD
to be one OF the mast successtul
men in the industry IN the south.
next addressed the meeting. giving
his hearers the benefit of his expert
ence. He presaged his remarks with
the statement that 1T is P game that
calls for work, probably more work
than anything else you can think OF
work that must be done everv day,
year, but there is good money in 1t. -
He insisted that the Selma district
had no natural advantages over this
section as a dairy center.
Pasture Not Necessary
"You hear much talk about the
necessity of natural paSturages. but
my experience has taught me that
this is largely bunk. Dairy cattle do
not have to have pasturage. What
they need is feed. feed put in a
| trough for them. and this in a large
| measure can be produced right on
| the farm
Mr.. Hayne said that one Of the
| advantages of dairying was that the
dairy farmer could tell at the end
of every two weeks when he gets
| his check whether ne is losing or
making money. 81 keep books against
every cow and when one does not
pay. I sell her," he added
The meeting was presided over by
County Agent r. A. Stratford. 1T is
not the idea of those who are trying
to promote the dairy industry in the
Moultrie territory to convert every
farmer thew meet in the road into a
| dairyman. What we arc trying to do
is to get some straight facts to
those who are inclined toward the
industry. If we can get J per cent OF
| the farmers in the Moultrie district
to milk an average Of fifteen cows
each we will have developed the in
dustrY to high point" Mr.. STRAIT
ford said, in opening the meeting.
Farmers were present from Worth.
Colquitt. Tiff, Ben Hill. Cook. Brooks
and Mitchell counties. and the audi
ence was made I'D of s4rious-minded
men who had come to learn about Il
question in which they were greatly