Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-01-26
Interest In Dairying Growing
Rapidly Throughout South

feeding them livestock, fertility would
be restored to the soil, meeting the
proposition of building up and main
tanning our soils in high state of
fertility and in making of much more
profitable yields of whatever crops
We may like to grow than we are
getting.
One of the most urgent problems
in many localities, particularly where
farmers have diversified their crops,
growing less cotton, has been the mar
ketlng of their production, especially
OF iced crops, such as hay and grain.
The keeping of a few cows on the
farm will enable the farmer TO market
this production in the form of cream,
poultry products. and hogs rather than
In the form of the raw product Many
times farmers have complained be-
cause local merchants have not bought
their hay, etc. and the cause of this
complaint would be absolutely remov-
ed if more live stock are kept, the
farmers utilizing such production for
feeding upon their own farms.
Besides relieving the marketing pro-
position, it should be remembered that
the bulk of the fertility contained in
these crops would thus be returned
to the soil in the manure from live
stock.
This type of dairying would add to
the family food supply the most
wholesome, health giving foods OBJ
tainable. Not only would it add
milk, and butter, but eggs and poultry
as well. Many Southern farm fami-
lies do not have as abundant supply
of milk and butter and poultry and
eggs upon their tables as they should
have in order to benefit fully from
the use of these most desirable and
health giving foods.
No great amount of money is nee
essary to start into dairying upon the
scale here suggested. Purebred cows
are not necessarily required. 1t will
be found profitable to begin with any
good cow that will produce as much
as two gallons of milk per day. Of
course better COWS may be bought as
the business grows and besides cows
should be bred for increased produc-
ton. The problem of breeding for
higher production can be very well
met by cooperation in the ownership
of bulls from high producing ancestors
The average farm cow giving two
gallons of milk day if bred to a
good bull with record of 500 pounds
of fat or better year should produce
heifer that will at freshening milk
almost double that of her dame.
The essentials of this type of dairy
ing are of course feed and pasturage.
The cows would furnish steady mar
ket for considerable forage and feed
'stuffs and the farmer, instead of won
dering what disposition he would make
of such production of hay, forage and
grain as he might have as result of
reducing his cotton acreage, would
know that his needs at home must be
met and that his cows offer the best
possible market for such production
and besides he would see his lands
grow better as result of the return
of the fertilizer value of the feeds to
the land in the form of manure from
the stock. Pasturage is important
and the making of pastures should be
upon the same basis as the produc-
ton of a crop. The land should be
well prepared and seeded to grasses
of the right kind and after that grass
es should be given a chance to get
we'll set before being grazed too heav-
lily. Cow peas. soy beans, velvet
beans, sudan grass. sorghum and corn
are all good feeds for dairy cows and