FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION 201 



CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF DAIRY COWS 



By T. E. Woodward, Dairy Husbandman, and J. R. Dawson, 



Dairy Husbandman, Bureau of Dairying, U. S. 



Department of Agriculture 



There are two methods of obtaining a high-producing 

 herd of dairy cows. One method is to buy them, the other 

 is to breed them. There are comparatively few men starting 

 in the dairy business who can afford to purchase outright a 

 high-producing herd. Although it is possible to buy good 

 cows at reasonable prices in sections where there is a sur- 

 plus of purebred or high-grade cattle for sale, it is only 

 in exceptional cases that it is good business for a beginner 

 to purchase a large number. As a rule the beginner is 

 limited in funds, he does not understand the fundamentals 

 of breeding and feeding, and in a majority of cases does not 

 realize that high-producing cows must have better care and 

 management than ordinary cattle. 



It is usually better practice to start with a smaller num- 

 ber of cows and use a desirable purebred bull. These cows 

 must be handled properly and the heifers selected from the 

 best cows to build up the herd. After a time, when finances 

 permit, one or two purebred females can be purchased as a 

 foundation for a purebred herd. In the meantime consider- 

 able knowledge will have been gained in the care and man- 

 agement of dairy cattle, and the chance for financial loss 

 will have been reduced to a minimum. This may seem like 

 a slow method, but it is sure. It takes several years of in- 

 telligent effort and thought to build up and maintain a good 

 herd of cows — either purebreds or grades — and the busi- 

 ness can not be learned in a few months. 



Several breeds of dairy cattle are being used in the 

 United States and have proved satisfactory. There are good 

 cows and poor cows in all breeds. For this reason, individual 

 selection should receive as much attention as the breed. 



