The Carbon County chronicle. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1924, 1924-09-24


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An Illinois COW kicked over the
lamp that started the Chicago fire;
q Montana cow kicked over the
theory that 10OO-pound butter re-
cords could only be made under
ideal conditions. Il. It. McDer-
mand of Huntley, Montana, has
again attracted the spotlight of
the dairy world to the Treasure
State through the remarkable per-
Torrance Of his COW, Pleasant
Grove Snowflake. This COW, un-
der semi-officiaI test, produced
27,1e4.77 pounds of milk and
1,069.5 pounds OF butter in 345
days. She produced approximately
so pounds OF milk per day, on an
average, and for several weeks
early in her test period she aver
aged more than 100 pounds per
day.
Under any condition a record of
this kind would attract considerable
attention but when it is taken into
consideration that this COW was kept
in barn than in its prime did not
cost over $50, was fed in the same
way and ON the same feeds as the
other animals in the herd, and was
kept under farm conditions that we're,
II anything, below the conditions
found on the average Montana farm,
the performance is remarkable.
J. D. Trestsven. dairy specialist for
the Montana State College Extension
Service, states that this record makes
Snowflake one of the highest pro-
ducing cows in Montana, being ex-
elled only by Grace Koningen owned
by Montana State college, and by two
cows owned by ]. III. Hofstetter of
Lewistown.
Snowflake was purchased in North
Dakota as heifer, being one of a
carload selected by r. r.. Graves of
the U. S. Dairy Division for Mr.. Nc
Demand and some of his neighbors.
She freshened May 2, 1928 with her
fourth calf and was started on semi
official test few days later. I'M
like most cows that make striking
records, she was not especially fitted
for making record and as a result,
calved in ordinary condition. For
the first three weeks she was MIXED
three times per day and was then
changed to four milkings for the next
four and one-half months.
During the winter she was fed all
the alfalfa hay she would eat, 10 to
so pounds Of corn silage and Is to
20 pounds of grain. The grain RAJ
ton consisted of ground corn, oats
and barley with small amount OF
linseed meal at times, the total not
exceeding $50 pounds.
From the standpoint of feed con-
sumed in relation to the production
of milk and butter fat, the record
was a very economical one. The
products were worth four hundred
dollars at the least while the cost OF
feed was considerably less than one
half this amount.
During the year while making this
record, Mr.. McDermand also cared for
eight to 10 other cows and did his
usual farm work with the aid OF
Mrs. McDermand. Had the COW been
fitted for the test and had Ii been
possible to devote more time and at
tention to her, 1t is quite probable
that the record would have been ev-
en- greater.
According to Mr.. Tretsven, the
COW is not only a great producer but
wonderful reproducer as we'll. Her
first daughter, Kate Korndyke Walk
or Pet, freshened with her second
calf, December 8, 1923, and for the
first 140 days Of her official test
she made 1867 pounds of milk and
264 pounds of butter fat. The sec
ond daughter. Dolly Korndyke Walk
err Pontiac, with her first calf made
8,085.7 pounds of milk and 1856
pounds of butter fat the first ITS
days. Both of these incomplete re-
cords gives promise of high produc-
ton. Snowflake also has a younger
daughter, two grandaughters, and q
grand son. A truly outstanding
family of seven cows that has been
developed from single COW that il
now only six years old.
Like most good cows, Snowflake
has the essential conformation of o
great producer. She is a large
strong, rugged COW, deep in body and
has great capacity for food. Her
udder is of good size and Is excellent
in quality. The large milk veins and
prominent milk wells also indicate
her great productive capacity.
Aside from the conditions under
which the record was made the point
of greatest interest lies in the fact
that all the feeds used were home
grown with the exception of the small
amount of oil meal, and this, says
Mr.. Tretsven, may have come origi-
nally from Montana flax. 1t is
another splendid illustration that the
home grown feeds are quite sufficient
in themselves when fed in the right
way to the right kind Of cows.