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8 HOW HE BUILT UP THE DAIRY HERD.—BREEDING FOR QUALITY. So much is being said and written in these days about the cow with the large product and the consequent profit thereof, as well as of a profitable mar ket for the same, that I think many are inclined to be discouraged, think ing that these things can only be at tained with high-priced fancy animals and equipment; hence are only possi ble to those with "long pocket books," and consequently beyond the reach of the ordinary young farmer, often with too little working capital, and a mort gage to look after besides. It has, therefore, seemed that some one might be helped and encouraged if I set in order some of our experience along these lines. First, let me say that I was always taught to regard animal husbandry as a very necessary part of the farm economy, and we always kept a good deal of stock of one kind or another, never were in the dairy business to any extent after I was old enough to take an interest in affairs. In fact, I was rather prejudiced against it, from an experience of my father's in ship ping milk to New York. The business of buying cows from the dairy dis tricts in the fall, and feeding them mostly coarse food through the win ter, sending them to New York when fresh in the spring, took more capital than I could spare. It had ceased to be profitable, also, as the cows cost nearly as much in the fall as they were worth when fresh in the spring, to say nothing of those that proved barren, and worthless for dairy pur poses. I also found that the manure made from the coarse food fed to such stock, was of very poor quality. Then I tried fattening calves. This paid well when the calves could be obtain ed, and did not get an epidemic of scours among them. But it ruined the cows and I felt as though I ought to do something that was permanent and would give me a dairy of value, which I could be proud to look at and show my friends. About this time a co-operative creamery was started on the cream gathering plan, about nine miles from me. I then determined to start a dairy of largely winter milkers, and of the Jersey type. I had no money to buy expensive cows; but had men whom I knew in the dairy sections pick up for me the best cows they could find, with a good mixture of Jersey blood. There were fresh cows with some that had been milked several months, many of them two or three years old. The average cost was $35 per head. These, with a half dozen that I had, made up my first dairy of 20 animals. I am surprised now when I think of it how good those cows were, consid ering the price and the way they were obtained. Of course, there were some that went to the butcher's at the end of the first season, but then there were others that would make up 10 or 12 pounds of butter a week, and keep it up for five or six months. In com pany with my next neighbor, who was also starting along the same line, I bought an aged Jersey bull, of ex cellent breeding and good individual ity. On account of his age, and a reputation of being vicious, we got him for $50. Then 1 paid $25 for two Jer sey heifer calves, and the next year $120 for two young A. J. C. C. cows. Unfortunately for me, the first year the number of heifer calves was small, but we raised every one. This I soon found was a mistake. Since, I have only raised the heifers from the best cows, and later only those calves that were well developed and showed some indication of a good dairy type. Later, I learned that it was economy to dis card some of these when a few months' old, when they failed to develop as they should. Realizing that I could only use the old bull for a couple of years, I looked around and secured a Jersey bull calf, a few months old, for $20. This calf came from one of the best strains of Jersey blood (St. Helier), but being in the hands of an ordinary farmer the proved to be one of the best bulls I ever owned. Unfortunately I butch ered him at three years of age, before I knew his value, having the notion that a young bull was just as good and not wanting to keep two, I then made a mistake that took me at least two years to overcome. I had at the end of four years begun to get a dairy largely of the Jersey blood, and quite uniform in type and color, but not very large size, and with rather small teats, and although the milk tested about five per cent fat, I felt I was not getting flow enough, though aver aging for the herd, including heifers with their first calf, 275 pounds but ter per cow. To get larger size and more milk as well as better teats I bought a Guernsey bull, and mated him to my purebred Jerseys (of which I then had several). While I got a few superior cows, the bulk of them were neither Jersey nor Guernsey. Nice pretty things, but neither good con sumers nor producers, and it was not until I got so strong an infusion of the Guernsey blood that it predominat ed that I got as good animals as be fore. Neither did I get any richer milk, better teats or greater size un til I bred for them especially from in dividuals, and not from a breed as a whole. I would have attained the same results, in much less time, had I selected a Jersey bull from a family of large animals, large milkers with good teats, and the bull being himself well developed along these lines, rather than to try to get these things from an inferior of Guernsey blood. I be lieve the same thing would have been true had my foundation stock been Guernseys and I had attempted to cross them with Jerseys. My advice to anyone is, never mix breeds. The stronger infusion of the blood desired the more certain will be the results. I have come more and more to ap preciate the importance of individual excellence as well as breeding in a bull. So my next Guernsey bull was selected very carefully by a friend who was an expert. He was a most val uable animal, but unfortunately died from an accident when four years old. My next purchase was a calf from a noted herd of Guernseys from a cow that had made over 400 pounds of but ter in a year, and has since made near ly 600 pounds, and one of their best bulls. Because he had a brown muz zle, I got him for $50 ($25 off for fail ing to have then fashionable color). He was rather coarse (I wanted more size), had six rudimentary teats of good size, and came from a line of large milkers. I had come to learn that five per cent milk was rich enough, and when it went much be yond one was apt to get a rather deli cate animal, and one inclined to ster ility. What has been the results? An ircrease in size (as much as desired), larger flow of milk as well as better teats and udders. So strong is this tendency that four out of five of his THE RANCH. heifers have two well-developed rudi mentary teats. lam now using him on his own heifers and saving the best heifer calves from them after they are three years old. We have a herd most of which can hardly be distinguished from pure bred Guernseys, with good form and udder, and yielding us about 5,750 pounds of five per cent milk per year, including always the two-year old heifers with their first calves, of which there are usually about five or six in the herd. It will be readily seen that very lit tle money was invested. The home herd has grown from 20 to 30, besides another of 20 that is being built up on similar lines on another farm, and we now sell off surplus from these herds (old and faulty cows, heifers, calves and a few each year of selected fam ily cows at $70 to $75 per head), from $300 to $500 annually. I could make more production if I had only mature cows, and doubtless, it would be as cheap to buy as to save them, but where to buy? "Aye, there's the rub!" and it makes me rather keep the cows I raise than "fly to others that I know not of." I believe in a few more years, by careful selection and good develop ment. I can show a herd that for form and production, will be the equal of most herds of pure breds, and at a very small cash outlay.—Edward Van Alystyne in Rural New Yorker. DAIRYMEN, GUARD YOUR INTER ESTS. By Hon. 11. L. Blanchard. President Wash ington State Dairymen's Association. Election day is near at hand, and the dairymen and all others interest ed in the dairy industry throughout the state, will then have an opportun ity to express their approval or dis approval of the official conduct of our congressmen and senators, particular ly in connection with the passage of the Grout Bill. All will remember the anxiety of those engaged or interested in the dairy industry throughout the United States, during those days, months and years that such legisla tion as was demanded by the Grout Bill, was being considered by congress. We have not forgotten the great in roads that were being made upon our business by that monstrous fraud — oleomargarine—nor have the consum ers of our dairy products forgotten these things. The correspondence that took place during such period be tween the writer hereof and our con gressmen and senators, —a part of which was at the time published in The Ranch, —is still quite fresh in our memories. We are glad to remem ber the encouraging letters received from Senator Foster, and Congressmen Cushman and Jones, wherein they promised to do all within their power in the matter of securing the passage by congress of said Grout Bill. We also know that these gentlemen kept their promises and that their names are recorded in the list of those members who voted for the passage of the bill, thereby rendering a faithful and in valuable service to every dairyman, and to the dairy industry of our whole state. We, as dairymen, feel very grateful to these gentlemen for such service and shall show our gratitude by voting for these congressmen and their running mate at the approaching election. Nor have we forgotten Senator Tur ner's conduct in this matter. How he promised to "carefully consider" our demands that he support such measure and vote lor its passage. We cannot say as to whether he did, or did not, £tf*p6Holid^fc Games In each pound package of Lion Coffee from now until Christmas will be found a free game, amusing and instructive—so different kinds. Get Lion Coffee and a Free Game at Your Grocers. consider the matter at all; we only know that his voice nor influence was never heard nor felt in our behalf, and that his name does not appear in the list of those who voted for or against the measure. Under the cir cumstances, we feel warranted in con cluding that Senator Turner did not favor such measure, and is not con cerned in the growth and development of the dairy industry of the state, and therefore he has no claims upon the dairymen of the state. We are inform ed that in the event of the majority of the next legislature being Demo crats, that Mr. Turner will be returned to the senate for a term of six years. It is clear to be seen that a vote for a Democrat for member of the legis lature is practically a vote to re-elect Senator Turner. In view of his atti tude toward the dairy industry, it can not be considered otherwise than a public calamity should such a thing occur. The dairymen of the state, all interested in the dairy industry, and all consumers of dairy products, owe it to themselves and to the state, to bear these things in mind when they vote. YOU GET 'EM FREE. The following publications are now available for distribution and can be had on application to the Statistician of the United States department of agriculture, Washington, D. C: Farmers' Bulletins. No. 156.—The Home, Vineyard, With Special Reference to Northern Condi tions. Directions for preparing the soil, propagating, planting, supporting, training, and pruning the vine; to gether with other instructions for the buidance of persons who wish to grow grapes in a small way. No. 157. —The Propagation of Plants. Description of propagation by seeds and cuttings, layering, grafting, and budding. No. 158.—How to Build Small Irri gation Ditches. Directions for building small irri gation ditches on the farm. No. 160.—Game Laws for 1902. A Summary of the Provisions Relating to Seasons, Shipment, Sale, and Licenses. The most important regulations con cerning the shipment and sale of game, especially those governing in terstate commerce, for the informa tion of sportsmen, wardens, dealers, shippers, farmers, and other interest ed in game. The very flowers that bend and meet in sweetening others grow more sweet. —0. W. Holmes.