The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-11-25


Clearly, it is desirable to keep only
the profitable cows. To do this means
that systematic records must be kept.
No guess work will do. No COW
should be retained in the herd unless
her milk and butter fat record shows
she is profitable. At the Missouri Ex-
pertinent Station, one Jersey COW pro-
duced three times as much milk and
butter per year for three years as an
other COW that was her half-sister.
The difference in the cost of feed eat
en- by the two cows was not great and
both received the same good care.
The Illinois Experiment Station
tested the herds of eighteen Illinois
farmers, and found the same condition
to prevail. The best ten cows aver
aged 3S9 pounds of butter in a year,
while the poorest ten cows averaged
100 pounds. They found at least one
third of the cows in the ordinary
herds to be Improbable. Many herds
in other localities have been tested
with the same results. 1t is the rule
rather than the exception for cows in
the same herd to differ widely in milk
produced. What the COW ownern eeds
to know is, first of all. how much milk
each COW produces and, second, how
much butter fat it contains.
A good spring balance, supply of
milk record sheets, and a milk testing
outfit are all that are essential when
keeping milk and fat records.
A good spring balance can be pur-
chased at, cost of So or $4. These
scales can be so adjusted that the
hand will stand at zero when the emp
ty pail is swung on the hook. Thus
the hand will point to the number of
pounds of milk contained in the buck
ct. Record sheets cnn be secured at
at very low price, from the publish
ers of dairy papers, The milk test
ing outfit can be purchased for less
than $40.
One Improbable COW detected and
sold from the herd viii make larger
saving than the total cost of equip
ment.
Anyone intereste in securing these
supplies will be given free assistance
by the County Agent, upon request.
Not Too Late to Use Limestone
Some farmers in the county are he's
itating about using limestone after
the ground is seeded to wheat. AL
though the application of limestone
to the ground after blowing for wheat,
thereby causing it to be thoroughly
worked into the seed bed is to be rec
commended, yet it is paying practice
to top dress the wheat with limestone.
If the wheat is to receive top dress
ing of manure, it is an excellent plan
to throw some limestone on the top of
manure and scatter the limestone with
the manure. If the spreader is set to
apply eight loads Of manure per acre,
and 500 pounds of limestone is thrown
on top of the load, this will result in
two tons of limestone being applied
per acre. The average acre limestone
requirement is little more than tw.
tons.
1t should be remembered that the
greatest returns Of the application of
limestone comes from using it prior
to the seeding of clover. If oats and
clover are to be sown together in the
spring, blowing the ground this fall
and then applying the limestone is ad-
visable. ..e.,
Owing to the fact that only two
community pulverizers are in the
county, those farmers who do not live
in the communities where these pull
verizers are, should be doubly anxious
to take advantage Of the opportunity
Of getting this limestone while an op-
portunity is offered. 1t is save to as
sure one tnat it will be only short
time until the community pulverizers