242 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



THE FARMER'S COW— HOW TO KNOW AND HOW TO FEED IT. 



Professor Kennedy, Ames. 



Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: I assure you that I am glad 

 to be here this afternoon to speak to the members of the Iowa State 

 Dairymen's Association and visitors. 



You have heard a sreat deal from our Governor in regard to the 

 prosperity of the State of Iowa — Iowa, wlio stands first in agriculture in 

 comparison with all the other states of the Union. This afternoon I 

 wish to take your attention for a short time to discuss one phase of agri- 

 culture which has not been taken up yet. I wish to take your time for 

 a short while to discuss the farmer's cow, how to know her and how to 

 feed her. 



I may say that in my estimation the farmer's cow has probably done 

 more towards development and prosperity of agriculture in Iowa than 

 probably any other one line. 



In the first place, as Governor Cummins has already said, we have 

 several kinds of cows. We have the special purpose cow, the dual pur- 

 pose cow. the beef cow, and so on. This afternoon I do not wish to dis- 

 cuss the special purpose cow, or the dual purpose, or the beef cow. I 

 am simply going to talk a little while on what is considered the most 

 profitable farmer's cow. 



In the first place we have several breeds of cattle. AVe have several 

 breeds of dairy cattle, cattle which are intended and bred especially for 

 the purpose of dairying — for the production of milk. We have in addi- 

 tion to that, breeds of cattle which are bred for the one purpose of beef 

 production; furthermore, we have other breeds of cattle and other types 

 of cattle which are bred for the combined purpose of producing beef and 

 milk. 



In certain sections of this country there is no doubt but what the 

 special purpose cow, of which the Jersey, the Guernsey, the Holstein, 

 Ayrshire and some other breeds are representatives, that that type of a 

 cow is the most profitable for a farmer to own. In other sections of this 

 country, in the West, for instance, where land is cheap, where land 

 can be had for almost nothing, there is no doubt but what the beef cow 

 is the cow for the farmer. In other sections, of which Iowa is a good 

 example, there is another type of cow which in many instances can be 

 handled profitably, that is the dual purpose cow — the cow which gives 

 a fair amount of milk and at the same time produces a calf which makes 

 a fairly good steer when sent to the market. I wish to make myself 

 clearly imderstood in this connection. To not misunderstand and think 

 that I stand here for a moment and say that this dual purpose cow is a 

 more profitable cow than the dairy cow for a farmer to own; but I may 

 say under the mo.-t intensified methods of farming, where dairying is 

 adopted, that the cow which will last longer is the special purpose cow. 

 That cow will last and will be present after the other types are gon-3. 

 A special purpose cow demonstrates that she will produce butter at a 

 lower cost than any other type, but ;iowa is different from other sections 



