BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 231 



SOUTHERN FIELD WORK. 



The southern field work for the development and improvement of 

 the dairy industry, which has been continued along the same general 

 lines as reported in previous years, is now in progress in nine States, 

 namely: Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, 

 South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Usually but one 

 man works in a State and he devotes his time largely to individual 

 dairymen located in different sections, the object being to assist one 

 dairyman in a locality to operate his dairy in a thoroughly profitable 

 manner, thereby providing an object lesson for the benefit of the 

 locality. On the whole this work has been very successful. It has 

 not onl}' done jnueh in the way of demonstrating the possibilities of 

 dairying in the South, but it has also demonstrated a most practi- 

 cable system of developing the dairy industry to take advantage of 

 those possibilities. 



In all the States this work has received increased attention from 

 the state institutions, and it is fully expected that in time these insti- 

 tutions will take over the work entirely. North Carolina is providing 

 funds rather liberally for the maintenance of the work, and it is 

 probable that the Department's assistance will cease to be necessary 

 in that State and perhaps in other States during the coming year. 

 It is the purpose to withdraw such assistance just as rapidly as pos- 

 sible and transfer it to other States in the South and West. 



The following are some of the particular lines of work in progress: 

 Herd improvement and economical feeding; furnishing plans for 

 dairy barns, silos, dairy houses, etc., and giving advice in their 

 erection ; assisting in the organization of dairy and live-stock asso- 

 ciations; improving city milk supplies; assisting in short courses of 

 dairy instruction and in meetings and fairs: oversight of creamery 

 organization. 



During the year records of 57 herds containing 0G4 cows were kept 

 by dairymen in the South under the supervision of the Dairy Divi- 

 sion, and in addition a number of dairymen — in one State as many 

 as 35 — have been conducting herd records without the assistance of 

 the field men. One man keeping records under the instruction of the 

 field agent reduced the cost of milk production from $1.34 to 69 

 cents per hundred pounds, a saving of nearly one-half. 



The use of the purebred bull comes as immediate result of (ho herd 

 records, and field workers during the past year have been able to 

 induce about 20 dairymen to buy purebred bulls. They have also 

 assisted farmers in the purchase of good dairy stock to replace the 

 unprofitable cows of their herds. 



Fifty silos have been built in (he Southern States during the past 

 year as a result of the work of the Dairy Division. On account of 

 the permanency of concrete construction that type of silo is now 

 being built whenever possible. Reports on 20 concrete silos built 

 during the past (wo years show that the average cost per ton capacity 

 was $2.3."), wliile the" average cost of 57 stave silos was $1.50 per ton 

 capacity. One dairyman reports that in two seasons his silo has 

 saved him at least $2,000 above its cost. A circular giving directions 

 for buihling concre(e silos lias been prepared for pul)rK'a(ion. 



Twenty-nine now barns and 10 new dairy houses were buil( during 

 the past year, and 12 old barns were remodeled. 



