1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
367 
BUYING HEIFER CALVES FROM 
DAIRYMEN. 
How Many to Start a Herd. 
I am arranging to enter the dairy busi¬ 
ness, and would like to buy a lot of heifer 
calves from some good dairymen who have 
good Jersey or Guernsey cattle, and raise 
them so that in about three years I will have 
at least a foundation herd. I see plenty 
of breeders advertise, but few dairymen. 
Queen Anne, Md. f. a. b. 
In regard to the question of buying 
heifer calves to raise, I hardly think it 
practical in this section, as most far¬ 
mers raise all the No. 1 heifer calves that 
they have. There is a good demand for 
milch cows for the Massachusetts market 
at good prices, and all farmers sell 
more or less, so it takes a good many 
calves to keep the number good. A man 
with a 30-cow dairy will raise from eight 
to 12 calves a year, which is all the good 
heifers you can expect to get. 
Vermont. c. m. hazard. 
In the hill towns many of the best dairy 
farms can be bought for a very low price, 
and on these rich pasture lands your cor¬ 
respondent, or any young man, could de¬ 
velop a good paying business. By secur¬ 
ing the best heifer calves to be found, and 
raising them, he would soon have a fine 
herd of cows. If he wishes to keep these 
cows he should not make the mistake of 
using a cull sire. By all means, get a good 
purebred sire. The best grade calves to 
be found are the ones for your correspon¬ 
dent to get; if possible, get those from a 
purebred sire. Some of the larger milk 
breeds well developed will find a ready 
market. The dairymen are looking for 
just SUch COWS. ETHELBERT BUSS. 
Massachusetts. 
I have always been able to dispose of 
my calves about here at fair figures. The 
best grade bull calves T sell for $5 each 
when about a week old. The heifers I 
carry through the Summer until my skim- 
milk gets scarce (August), when I can 
get about $15 apiece for them. I have a 
fine herd of grade Holstein cows. Eleven 
were sired by my bull, Alberta Sir Mech- 
thilde No. 25502 H. F. H. B. The pur¬ 
chase of this bull was a first-class in¬ 
vestment for me, and I think it one of 
the best ways to build up a profitable 
dairy herd. I have been breeding these 
heifers back to their sire, and have some 
nice calves that are thus inbred. I shall 
probably put another purebred bull at the 
head of my herd soon, and shall then 
raise some three-quarter Holstein calves, 
and unjess I increase my herd more than 
I expect shall have some of these for 
sale. Such calves would be worth from 
$10 to $15 each when from four to six 
weeks of age. As to whether such a plan 
would be practical I cannot say, but 
would think that it might, provided one 
had skim-milk to feed the little things 
on. If one did not I would say buy 
heifer calves from good cows when from 
four to six months old. Good cows will 
cost pretty well anyway, for even with a 
fine lot of heifers at least one-third of 
them would not come up to a high stan¬ 
dard of production, burton h. corbett. 
New Hampshire. 
I know of men who are raising calves 
bought largely from milkmen who use 
all their milk and have nothing to feed 
their calves, and are often glad to make 
arrangements with some one to take 
them off their hands when throe days old. 
In this way one is able to pick up many 
calves from extra good cows at from 
$1 to $2 each that will, if rightly taken 
care of, prove profitable cows. One man 
of our acquaintance furnishes a purebred 
bull to milkmen free in consideration of 
their selling to him all heifer calves at $1 
each. This arrangement has been mutu¬ 
ally profitable, as the milkmen are at 
practically little expense for bull service, 
and they know that when this man has 
heifers to sell they will be from good 
cows. 
We raise annually eight to 20 calves 
from our best cows, the remainder. 30 
to 40, go when two or three days old at 
$1 to $2 each. The objections to the 
calf scheme are that too many milkmen 
are careless as to the bull they have, and 
any scrub animal is used in many cases; 
also their calves come at all seasons of 
the year, and it is often inconvenient to 
start raising them at all times. The 
milkman often wants to get rid of the 
calves, and doesn’t care to wait for some 
one to make up his mind whether or no 
this one is to be raised. We are fre¬ 
quently asked to promise all our calves 
to one man, but do not do so, as we have 
never found the man with whom this 
worked well. h. g. m. 
I do not think this is the most satis¬ 
factory method of building up a herd, be¬ 
cause as a rule we like to raise _ the 
best for our own use. At the same time, 
many in our section follow this practice, 
and secure good working herds. I shipped 
three heifer calves yesterday to a man 
who thinks this is cheaper than to buy a 
purebred bull and raise his own. If the 
owners will only feed and care for them, 
and not expect improved blood to do the 
whole business all will go well. So many 
dairymen have the wrong point of view. 
They cannot understand that value is 
primarily the product of feed and care, 
and that the improved blood they are 
buying has been made so by some man’s 
thorough feed and constant care. With 
the bill of these calves just shipped I 
wrote the buyer that the whole thing de¬ 
pended upon him. If he did his duty 
from now until he ceased milking them 
he would say that my choice in calves 
could be trusted, but if they had scrub 
care he would tell his friends of one 
man whom no one could trust. Improved 
stock goes down rapidly under scrub care, 
and so many a man becomes discour¬ 
aged and says the whole things is a hoax. 
I bought two cows one year ago from a 
dairy that has been built along this line, 
getting calves from well-bred dairies. 
These cows were poor and weak, but I 
thought from the handling that we could 
develop them. They were so weak that 
after a drive of two miles they reeled 
and staggered. When Mr. Van Dresser 
attended our barn institute, looking over 
the cows, he said to me: “Here is a 
fine cow, and one of the best handlers 
in the barn.” It was one of the two 
mentioned. I gave $70 for the pair; to¬ 
day they are worth $100. A man who 
knows his own capabilities can best de¬ 
termine whether he can manage the best 
medium or poorest stuff. h. e. c. 
Bloating Cows. —Your account of the 
meeting in the barn of II. C. Cook, writer 
and dairy authority, was read here with 
much interest, especially the part regarding 
the doctoring of cows for bloating. We have 
a way that makes puncturing of the paunch 
“look like .30 cents,"’ and as far as I ever 
have been able to find out it is not found in 
any text book. We have a piece of strong 
rubber steam pipe, three-quarter inch, as used 
In many creameries. This is about eight feet 
long. We place a clevis in the cow’s mouth, 
and after oiling the tubing let down to the 
stomach. This lets the accumulated gas pass 
out in a very short time. We then give a 
dose of salts or linseed oil, and that is ail 
there is to it. With a herd of 150 animals 
we find in the course of a year many oppor¬ 
tunities to use our tubing, and have never had 
any bad results. h. t. 
Lacona, N. Y. 
5 
Se 
WHICH? 
Tubular or 
{Simple Bowl or 
Izzers or 
Right Now or 
Waist Low Can or 
Self Oiling or 
I Wash 3 Minutes or 
All the Butter or 
Best Butter or 
Tubular or 
Bucket Bowl? 
Complicated? { 
Hasbeens? 
Were Once? 
Head High Can? 
Oil Yourself? 
Wash Thirty? 
Most All? 
Medium Butter? 
Bucket Bowl? 
WHICH DO YOU WANT? 
Tubulars are dif¬ 
ferent, very dif¬ 
ferent. J ust one 
iTubular — the 
(Sharpies. All 
the others make 
bucket bowls — 
can’t make Tubu-. 
[ lars because they’ 
are patented. Ask 
for catalog B-153. 
Sharpies Co, 
Chicago, Illinois 
P. M. Sharpies 
West Chester, Pa. 
Steol Frame, round. 
Built once for all. Best 
preservers,most durable, 
models of convenience, 
cheapest in the end. We want agents. Special terms 
to granges and farmers' clubs. INTERNATIONA I. 
SILO COMPANY, Box 53, Jefferson, Ohio. 
SILOS 
# The “Philadelphia” and Patent Hoof 
# All sizes Wood Tanks and Steel Structures. 
E. F. Schlichter, 1910 Market St„ Phila 
hila., Pa.# 
'%*b*r4 
A sure calf fattener 
Pratts Calf Tonic. 
Made by Pratt Pood Co., Phila. Over 30 years old. 
GRAND PRIZE 
CREAM SEPARATORS 
AAAAAA▲▲▲AAA 
After the most careful, complete and thorough investigation 
and consideration of every fact bearing on the subject ever under¬ 
taken bv the award authorities of any exposition, the St. Louis Expo¬ 
sition conferred every highest honor possible upon the 
DE LAVAL CREAM SEPARATORS 
THEIR INVENTORS, AND THE 
Butter Exhibits Made From Them 
The International Jury of experts, representing all countries, 
gave to the DE LAVAL COMPANY the GRAND PRIZE (very 
highest award) for CENTRIFUGAL CREAM SEPARATORS, 
covering All Sizes, for Farm and Factory use. 
In addition, Dr. De Laval was awarded a second GRAND 
PRIZE for the invention of the separator; Baron von Bechtolsheim 
a GOLD MEDAL for the invention of the “Alpha-Disc” system, 
and Mr. Berrigan a GOLD MEDAL for the invention of the “Split 
Wing” distributing shaft, these being the three INVENTORS who 
have made the DE LAVAL machines the perfect separators they 
are to-day. 
In the BUTTER EXHIBITS the GRAND PRIZE (very 
highest award) and all the GOLD MEDALS were awarded to 
users of DE LAVAL machines exhibiting butter made from them. 
While the DE LAVAL machines have invariably received the 
highest awards to Cream Separators at every International Exposi¬ 
tion since their invention twenty-five years ago, their triumph at 
St. Louis was even more complete and sweeping than ever before. 
Every buyer of a DE LAVAL machine gets a “GRAND 
PRIZE" and no one having use for a separator can afford to delay 
making so profitable an investment another day. It begins earning 
and saving with the very first run and continues to do so twice a 
day for twenty years or more. 
Send TO-DAY for catalogue of NEW MAY, 1905 machines 
and address of nearest local agent. 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
Randolph & Canal Sts. 
CHICAGO. 
1213 Filbert Street 
PHILADELPHIA 
9 & 11 Dramm St.. 
SAN FRANCISCO. 
General Offices: 
74 Cortlandt Street f 
NEW YORK. 
121 Youville Square, 
MONTREAL 
75 & 77 York Street 
TORONTO. 
248 McI>«rmot Avenue. 
WINNIPEG. 
1 Clean Uie Grain; 
.bind and pre- 
_ __ Iserve the straw. 
Harder Mfg. Co., Box I I, Cobleskill, N.Y. 
RYE THRESHERS: 
Above trade mark on every box. 
THE SPRING 
WORK 
is sure to bring sore 
shoulders. You need not 
lay your horse oil a day 
if you use 
BIGKMORE’S 
GALL 
CURE. 
It’s the sovereign remedy for all Calls, Scratches, 
Wire Cuts, Croaso Hool, etc. in horses. Torn or 
Cracked Teats, etc. in cows. Sold by local dealers 
everywhere, who are directed to refund money if it 
fails. Enclose us 10 cents for testing sample. 
BICKMORE GALL CURE COMPART, Box 519,Old Town, lit. 
Perfection 
Milk Cooler and Aerator 
The surest guarantee of good 
butter and cheese and Tong 
keeping milk. Aerates while ,, 
it cools. Expels all animal *• . 
ocloi s and feed, stable aiul other foreigu smells 
Convenient. All sizes. Descriptive circulars free] 
L. R. LEWIS, Mfr., Box 12, Cortland, N. Y. 
jEarLabels 
I for SHEEP, HOGS 
and CATTLE, from 
’ $1.00 per 100 up. 
Best on the market. Send for Free Catalogue Stockmen’s 
Supplies. F.S. BURCH &C0-, 144 Illinois St. Chicapo, 
F.S.BURCH 
AMERICAN 
MANURE SPREADERS. 
50 to 150 bu. capacity. 
Spread just as thick or thin as ground requir-s. Instant 
change of Feed. Quick, automatic return of Bottom. Light 
est Draft- Well made, strong, durable. Value, care 
and use of Manure explained in catalogue. Ask for it 
American Harrow C « 
o E TROIT. MIC M., 
1589 HASTINGS ST. 
