THE IMPROVEMENT OF MISSOURI HERDS. 



WHY AND HOW. 



(Fioin second annual report State Dairy Ooinmlssloner of Missouri, K. M. Washburn, 



Commissioner.) 



The increase in the standard and cost of living of the Ameri- 

 can people, the greatly increased demand for higher education and 

 the increase in the price of land in this State, have all worked to- 

 gether to make it necessary for the farmer to make more money. 

 With his farm gradually becoming less productive, while at the 

 same time being taxed as though worth more, how is he to do this? 

 He must keep stock in order to save his land. Most farmers now 

 possess a goodly number. How to handle this stock in order to 

 realize the most from it is now the most vital question before the 

 Missouri farmer. The time has passed when he can afford to keep 

 a cow the entire year for her calf only. She must do more. About 

 twenty-five thousand farmers of this State have already solved 

 this question in a measure by using the cows that they have in a 

 dual capacity. Those cows must now produce milk and cream 

 for market as well as raise their young. This group of dairy 

 farmers, or balanced farmers, have learned that by milking their 

 cows and selling the cream they can and do receive from twenty- 

 five to seventy-five dollars a year from each cow, and still raise 

 the calf as well as before. The following table shows sums actu- 

 ally obtained by the patrons of different small creameries in this 

 State : 



