512 



BOARD OF AGRICULTt^ftK 



A STUDY OF THE MILKING HERD. 



J. V. SHUGART, MARION. 



In selecting a dairy herd, one should spare neither pains nor meariS 

 in obtaining the best that could be procured— to secure cows for their 

 foundation herd that would give the largest quantity and best quality of 

 milk at the least cost of production. Of the many different breeds of 

 cattle that are used for dairy purposes, I prefer the Holstein-Friesian cat- 

 tle. We have tried the Jersey cattle. They were not satisfactory, as they 

 did not give enough millv to malie them profitable to the dairyman who 

 sells his milli to the city trade, and their offspring are so small they are 

 ^almost worthless, except for veal, and they are not the best quality for 

 that. The Jersey cow, however,, is noted for the high per cent, of butter- 

 fat in her milk, making her profitable to one where butter alone is the 

 aim. We have tried the Durham, and found them unprofitable as a 

 dairy cow. The Durhams, as a breed, are superior for beef production, 

 but for large productions of milk they are not there. Very often we 

 find a Durham cow that does not give enough milk to support her calf. 

 As I have stated before, of the many different breeds of cattle that are 

 classed as dairy cattle I prefer the Holstein-Friesian cattle. They are 

 noted for their large milk production; for their large butter and cheese 

 production, and for their large and vigorous calves. They are, in my esti- 

 mation, the ideal dairy cattle. I will give what a few of our cows have 

 done for us with only ordinary care and feed, such as we give them every 

 day in the year. These cows have not been officially tested. The test was 

 made by weighing the milk daily, saving a sample of the milk from each 

 cow, and sending it to the creamery to be tested for butter-fat. The tests 

 were as follows: 



Name of Cow. 



Age. 



Pounds Milk 

 Per Day. 



Per Cent. 

 Fat. 



Tirania Lady Aouda 



Tirania Lady Calantha 



Netherland Beauty's Saldene Queen 



Teetje Jangen Saldene Queen 



Buckeye Lass 



Buckeye Lass 2d 



Buckeye Lass 3d 



Netherland Maggie 3d 



79 



52i 



57^ 



50 



64^ 



48 



49 



64J 



3.8 



3.4 



4 



3.6 



3.9 



4.2 



3.9 



4 



