DAIRY MEETING. I33 



SOME REQUISITES FOR PROFITABLE DAIRYING. 

 By Geo. A. Smith, Geneva, N. Y. 



The subject of dairy farming which I am to present to you is 

 one that has been threshed over so many times, discussed from so 

 many viewpoints, that it would seem it must be entirely worn 

 out. The only thing that keeps it before us is the realization of 

 its importance by the thinking farmer who is striving to better 

 his condition. Besides this, if we are to believe the conclusions 

 which we see published, there are some people trying to make a 

 living keeping cows who have not been converted to the modern 

 methods of dairying, for which reason there is still missionary 

 work to do in this line. 



To make clear why this may easily be a fact, I wish to give a 

 personal illustration. My early life was spent on a farm in 

 Otsego Co., New York, where we kept sixty cows. Our method 

 of doing business was the same as that of every other farmer 

 in that section, for the farmers were all dairymen. The plan 

 was to have the cows come fresh in the spring during March 

 and April, to milk them through the summer and let them go 

 dry in the fall. Everything fed these cows was produced on the 

 farm. Not only that, — everything in the line of food and cloth- 

 ing for the family came from the farm. We lived upon what 

 we ourselves produced and whatever money we obtained from 

 the sale of butter and cheese was so much to the good. 



If I had known enough (which I did not) to talk to my 

 father or grandfather about the necessity of balancmg the ration 

 for those cows, or the individuality of the dififerent animals re- 

 quiring different treatment, I am afraid I should have received 

 very scant attention, to say the least. I have given this to bring 

 out the point as to why I believe farmers are often too slow in 

 taking up and adopting new methods. 



We grow up in the home and we become accustomed to a cer- 

 tain way of doing things which our parents acquired in the same 

 way, and it is not easy for us to throw our early training to one 

 side and take up an entirely new way of doing things. If meth- 

 ods of living and doing business were the same now as they were 

 in those earlier days it would not be so important that we make a 

 change, but we all realize now how different the conditions are. 



