CHAPTER XXX 



DAIRY CATTLE 



That cow is best shaped that is grim looking, with an ugly head, an abun- 

 dance of neck, with no end of length of her side, and everything large about 

 her down to her foot. VERGIL 



454. The dairy. Nearly one tenth of the farm income of 

 the United States is derived from dairy products. The annual 

 income from this source is about $814,000,000, a larger amount 

 than is received from any other single source except from the 

 corn crop. Our market for dairy products exceeds our supply, 

 and large quantities of butter and cheese are imported from 

 other countries each year. 



455. Advantages of dairying. A farm used for dairy pur- 

 poses should gain constantly in fertility, because the feed grown 

 on the farm, as well as that which is purchased. When milk 

 products are sold from the farm only a small portion of the 

 plant food contained in the entire crop is sold. As a means of 

 building up the soil no other system of farming equals dairy 

 farming. 



The dairy cow is the most economical producer of human 

 food. Therefore the cow is adapted to high-priced lands and 

 can utilize high-priced feed and labor to advantage. The rental 

 of land on the island of Jersey, the home of the Jersey cow, 

 is from $50 to $80 an acre a year. Land in Holland is valued 

 as high as $1000 an acre, and the chief agricultural pursuit there 

 is caring for the Holstein cow and her products (Fig. 177). 



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