The Delta independent., 1922-08-25
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DAIRY NOTES
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tuberculosis in Montrose Cows

which milk and cream are sold in
Montrose, is practically completed
with the result that 16 reactors have
been found in something over 400
head tested. This isn't a large per-
centage but if it indicates that per
cent Of all the cows in the Valley are
tubercular it is high time that defin-
ite steps were taken to reduce it, or
at least to hold it in check. Four per
cent of our COWS infected now, means |
that, in the natural course of events,
the percentage will be higher each
year unless control measures are
taken soon, making control more and
more difficult the longer it is post
poned.
The cooperation of cattle owners in
the work of testing around Montrose,
has been gratifying, a good number
having had their COWS tested though
not compelled to do so and still
more being on the waiting list Ap-
parently people are interested in
knowing whether the milk they give
their children or are selling to their
healthy cows or not.
Does it Pay?
We talk about dairy COWS as
source of revenue on farms and
means of maintaining or building
| soil fertility. Nobody cares to feed
and milk cows for the latter purpose
alone. We want to know first if the
COW will return a profit above the ex-
pense of feed, etc.
The dairy COW should be consider
ed as market for our crops of hay,
silage. pasture, and grain. If she
will pay more for these things than
we can sell them for on any other
market and at the same time help to
| increase the productivity of our
| farms. then she is clearly profitable
and she should be recognized as
safe investment for anyone who likes
work with COWS and knows how to get
the most out of them. Below are
| some figures made in Colorado,
which are worthy of lot Of study.
They are based on market prices of
butterfat and feed, and come from
Prowers county. Dairying was prac-
tically unknown there ten years ago,
farmers generally depending upon the
sale of alfalfa hay at $500 or $500 a
ton for a large part of their incomes.
Look at the figures taken from the
1921 cow-testing report.
206 cows on test for 12 months, pro-
duced an average of 9,432 lbs of milk
containing 1895 lbs of butterfat per
COW. Value of product, per cow,
174.02; cost of roughage, including
pasture, s34.41: cost of grain $24.73
or total feed cost of s59.14 per COW,
leaving profit above cost of feed,
OF $1l4.S9. Putting it another way,
each COW paid 1894 for what the hay
buyer and grain buyer offered $1.OO
for. OF course she required some
labor. for which she paid literally
with calf. skim milk and manure
These 206 cows were good cows
and they were well fed. The high
est producing herd showed a feed
cost of $500 and a profit of s1S195
per COW, while the lowest producing
herd showed feed cost of s41.65 and
a profit of $70.14 per COW. The moral
is obvious. and a comparison of the
records of the four years of the La.
mar association makes it still more
clear. In 1918. Ala. cows fed no
grain. gave an average of 216.5 lbs of
butterfat and a profit of s59.53 per
COW. In 1921, 206 cows (the culls
having been sold Off fed literally
produced an average of 3196 lbs. of
fat and gave profit of s114.S9.
| The above figures are not unique.
They show what other testing asso,
Citations show. viz: that good cows
are more profitable than poor ones;
that testing to detect the poor COW is
good business: that liberal feeding is
more economical than light feeding;
and that good cows well fed are the
surest, safest and best market for
homegrown feeds.
Dairy cattle have decreased, over
S0qo on the farms of the Uncompah-
gre Project in the past years.
There is Still Time
1t isn't too late to seed that grass
pasture yet this summer. 1t is pret-
ty hot now to start grass and little
extra attention to keeping the ground
wet would be required, but with this
attention it can be done From the
first to the middle of August might
be little better time if the weather
| gets cooler.
A good farmer on California Mesa
who makes money on potatoes, on
ions, wheat and even alfalfa, has a
small grass pasture which. he says,
pays him better than any other piece
of ground of the same size on his
farm. A COW certainly looks better
browsing around on good pasture
than standing around in a dry lot and
there is considerable evidence to
show that she feels better.