66o 
11)00. 
the rural NEWU'ORKER 
THE ELGIN, ILLINOIS, DAIRY DISTRICT. 
r.urr IV. 
We owe much of the prosperity which 
we are enjoying in northern Illinois, to 
the dairy cow, and we think she is entitled 
to a hearing. We find them here, there 
and everywhere, in groups of 10, 25, 50 and 
100. No matter how small a holding the 
farmer may be in possession of, no matter 
whether he rents or owns the land, he 
must have at least a few dairy cows to 
depend upon for a steady income and to 
maintain the fertility of his lands. The 
latest figures obtainable from the official 
census of 1900 show that there were then 
in the entire State of Illinois 1,007,604 
head of milch cows, of which 42,774, about 
one twenty-fifth or four per cent of the 
whole number, were credited to this (Kane) 
county alone, returning a gross income of 
$2,177,289 per year, or an average of $50 
to each cow. We might add that there 
were other counties adjoining which made 
nearly as good a showing. More recent fig¬ 
ures on number of cattle and gross income 
might not entirely correspond with those 
given, but they would not materially differ. 
We supply much of Chicago with milk and 
cream in bottled form, and our condensed 
product is known the world around. Thou¬ 
sands of workers, such as milkers and feed¬ 
ers, wagon men. condensing and liottling 
factory operatives, arc depending entirely 
upon the dairying industry for their sup¬ 
port. We have within a radius of 35 miles 
two dozen or more bottling and condensing 
plants doing a large business in caring for 
the dairy product. One condensing and 
bottling factory in the city of Elgin alone 
consumes the milk from 100 dairies, amount¬ 
ing to about 100,000 pounds or 1,538 cans 
with a capacity of eight gallons each, and 
this is only one factory out of many, and 
draws its supply from a short distance only. 
Solid milk trains, composed of six to 10 
cars each, with a capacity of from 2,000 
to 3,000 gallons each, are daily rolling in 
to the city of Chicago from a dozen differ¬ 
ent directions with the fresh product di¬ 
rectly from the dairy farms. Much more 
might be said, but this will serve to give 
one an idea of the immensity of the dairy 
Industry in northern Illinois. 
Experimenting with different breeds of 
milch cows has been done to a considerable 
extent in years past, but at the present 
time those of the Holstein type, or the 
grade Holstein, as they are termed, seem 
to be best adapted to our needs, and 
largely predominate. There may be a few 
Durhams, Guernseys or Jersey, or now and 
then a small number whose origin is rather 
indefinite, but we depend really upon the 
grade Holstein for our sure and steady sup¬ 
ply of milk. Some farmers are willing to 
concede that the milk of the Holstein, per¬ 
haps, does not contain quite as large a per¬ 
centage of butter fat as that of other 
breeds, but the volume of the flow is what 
we have to consider. A certain standard 
of richness has to be sustained of course, no 
matter where the milk Is disposed of. but 
this standard of quality may be sustained 
without sacrificing too much of the yield 
by the proper selection of foods and the 
general manner of care. The prices of our 
milch cows vary somewhat, according to 
their individual producing capacity, as well 
as to the fineness of the strain. A cow 
well marked may not be as valuable an 
asset to the dairyman as another which is 
not so well bred. If the owner be an 
importer or breeder of fancy cattle, we 
have a different proposition. A nearly 
purebred Holstein cow is valued around 
the one hundred-dollar mark, while the or¬ 
dinary grade cnttle (ITolsteins) vary in 
price from $55 to $70. Probably a herd 
such as is found in one of our average- 
dairy farms would be worth $65 each. 
Our stocks of cattle are replenished from 
different sources, probably the greater part 
of them coming from Wisconsin. A few 
of our dairymen raise a small proportion of 
what they need from their best cows, but 
the greatest majority of our farmers have 
to buy away from their home vicinity what 
is needed to keep their herd up to the 
standard. Our farmers mostly believe iu 
selling the calves as' soon as the milk is 
tit for use. Their claim is that it does not 
pay to raise them for future use when the 
price of milk, feed and the care is taken 
into consideration. The calves find a ready 
market,, and are sold at a price of from 
$3 to $4.50 each. The practice of chang¬ 
ing or replenishing the herd is closely fol¬ 
lowed, the average dairyman believing that 
when a cow has reached the age limit, or 
from some other cause is not desirable 
she should be disposed of and a younger 
and fresher one take her place. Our cattle 
as a rule are given ample and comfortable 
quarters, generally being housed in stone 
basement barns, oftentimes set well under 
the side of a hill. These basements are 
usually well lighted, and much attention is 
paid to their general sanitary conditions. 
Many of them have concrete floors extend¬ 
ing up to and in some instances including 
the man gers or feeding troughs. These 
troughs may be made continuous, and 
serve ns watering troughs as well. Before 
watering they are brushed out thoroughly 
and the water is turned on at one end and 
flows by gravity “down the line.” Other 
dairymen have a fixed receptacle to hold 
water for each individual cow, which is 
fed by a pipe extending along the man¬ 
gers. These plans, I think, are practical, 
as the water is slightly tempered and the 
cattle are not exposed outside lo the cold 
winds while drinking their till. The con¬ 
crete floor in the center, or run-way of the 
barn, is sometimes built sloping toward 
and to a level with the bottom of the drop 
or gutter. This plan does away with the 
outside sheer wall of the gutter, and the 
contents are much more easily yemovcd. 
The barnyards and general surroundings 
are kept in as cleanly a condition as pos¬ 
sible. Liberal coats of whitewash arc ap- 
pied to the interior of our stables, which 
lightens and purifies them. Usually a ma¬ 
chine is used for this purpose, and can be 
rented from some of our hardware men. 
Milking machines have not come into gen¬ 
eral use as yet by any means, and accord¬ 
ing to the views expressed by some of our 
dairymen, it will be some time before they 
will attain any great popularity in our 
part of the State. Some of our farmers 
have “tried them out." as they express it, 
and claim that they are “too hard" on the 
cattle, it would most certainly be a great 
boon to our dairymen if the milking ma¬ 
chine could lie made to do the work in a 
satisfactory manner, as good help is high 
priced and hard to get. We have not as 
yet adopted tlie swinging stanchion on our 
dairy farms. Here and there a farmer has 
put in one or two, but they did not ‘‘fill 
the bill," so the old style is still in evi¬ 
dence, and most likely it will be for some 
time to come. 
There is something of a variation in the 
quantities of milk produced from a given 
number of cattle among our different far¬ 
mers. The feed and the freshening up of 
the herd with new milkers are no doubt 
mainly the cause thereof. One farmer who 
is satisfied with $1 per bushel for his corn 
has not the same standard in view that 
bis neighbor has, whose ambition is to get 
$1.25 for his corn converted into milk, and 
feeds and cares for his cows accordingly. 
Both are what may be termed successful, 
but one is more so than the other. Some 
farmers overstock their farms, perhaps, but 
as a rule sufficient acreage is given each 
cow. One farmer with about one hundred 
cows operates 325 acres of land. Another 
with 35 cows has 150 acres. Still another 
with 350 acres has 65 milch cows, and a 
few head of young stock, about an average 
of four acres to the cow. The food for 
our milch cows has been and is yet for 
that matter, a subject of much considera¬ 
tion. Our farmers have pretty well learned 
what the best milk-producing foods are, 
but the question is, at least at the present 
time, whether they can afford to use them 
or not, taking in consideration the receipts 
from their milk and the market prices for 
their raw products, the present conditions 
are rather unusual, so to speak, and no 
doubt that our farmers are dairying now 
with a smaller profit on given investment 
than they were five to eight'years ago. 
w. c. B. 
AILING ANIMALS. 
Carpitis. 
I have a Pereheron mare 12 years of 
age suffering from bunches or some such 
hard gathering on one of her knees. -It 
is at times apparently stiff, and she will 
(hen go lame and the knee have a crack¬ 
ing sound. The lump is about the size of 
half a hen's egg. What can be done for it } 
New Jersey. J• b. 
Clip off the hair and blister the enlarge¬ 
ment with cerate of cantharides and tie 
mare so site cannot paw against manger 
when the blister is acting. If it is a bony 
growth (exostosis) it may be found nec¬ 
essary to repeat the blistering in a few 
weeks. A - s. a. 
Feeding Orphan Colt. 
Would you inform me what to feed a 
four-day-old colt (whose dam utterly re¬ 
fuses to own him) that does not get milk 
enough to thrive on, just enough to subsist? 
New York. M. J. c- 
Dissolve two. teaspoonfuls of granulated 
sugar in a little warm water, add three 
tablespoonfuls of lime water and fill up 
with cow's milk to make one pint. Of this 
feed an orphan foal at first half a tea¬ 
cupful every hour and gradually increase 
amount and lengthen intervals as he grows 
and thrives. Let him take the milk from 
a large rubber nipple fitted on a clean bot¬ 
tle. Use milk that is from a fresh cow 
particularly poor in butter fat. If foal 
scours, at once give castor oil shaken up 
in milk. From two to three tablespoonfuls 
of the oil will be a suitable dose. As soon 
as possible let foal learn to lick oatmeal, 
and as soon as he will take it freely, add 
one-fifth part of wheat bran. Soon the 
foal will learn to drink from a bucket, and 
the sugar may be omitted from the milk. 
Never feed less than six times daily. At 
six weeks to two months old foal may have 
sweet skim-milk gradually substituted for 
new milk and will do well on it. Mix 
lime water with the milk once daily. At 
all times allow free access to fresh, cold 
water in bucket. Grass may be allowed as 
soon as foal cares for it. At each time of 
indigestion or scours slop feeding for half 
a day or more, and each time give (lie 
castor oil. It is “quite a chore” hand¬ 
raising a foal, and a woman will succeed 
in such work where a man fails. Still it 
pays, if the foal is well-bred, and it seldom 
pays nowadays to raise any other kind. 
a. s. A. 
A Fj.igiit ok Pigeons. —I was very 
much surprised yesterday at the flight of 
a flock of 40 or 50 pigeons. I had sup¬ 
posed them to lie extinct. There can be 
no mistake about this, as they passed al¬ 
most! directly over my head, in the open, 
and not more than 50 feet high, and I was 
familiar with them, having netted them 50 
years ago in Pennsylvania, but had not 
seen any before in 35 years, s. m. n. g. 
Clayton, Wis. 
WILDER’S 
WHIRI 
LWIND” 
Will fill 
S1L0 
"'■'l your 
\ « Silo with 
\ 1 any Pow- 
I\\ er from 
\\\ 4 H-Pup. 
FILLER 
L 
Will cut 
or shred 
green or dry fodder an.d 
cut hay or straw. Our cat¬ 
alog explains why Whirl* 1 1 
winds succeed where 
others fail. Carried in 
stock at principal trans¬ 
fer points. Pamphlet,— 
‘‘How and Why to Fill a 
Silo," sent free. 
Wilder-Strong Implement Co, 
Boi 33 
Monroe, Mich. 
Jos. Dick Mfg. Co. 
1426W.Tu»carawaj St. 
Canton, Ohio 
Always DI 17 7 \ R H Ellsi,a * e 
Successful DLi/^Ltvltl/ Cutter 
Cuts any feed dry or Rrcen and elevates any height. 
No waste power. Can’t strain, lias the only knives 
adjustable while running. Self feed. Mounted or 
unmounted. Every machino tested and Qcaran- 
A labor-saver and money-maker. Ask 
free Book,“WHY SILAGE PAYS.'* 
DOSS 
■ \ With BLOWER and Traveling 
■ • FEED TABLE 
SILO FILLING 
MACHINERY 
Made 
in 
to suit 
all wants 
from 5 to 
15 Horse 
Power Engine. 
Sold on their own merits. Pay 
for same after tried and satisfied. 
LARGEST CAPACITY AND STRONGEST BUILT 
Write for catalog. We have had 59 years 
experience and are the largest and oldest man¬ 
ufacturers of Ensilage Machinery in the world. 
THE E. W. ROSS CO., Box 13 Springfield, Ohio 
We else nuke ROSS SILOS and MANURE SPREADERS. 
ONE MILLION IN USE 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO 
165 BROADWAY, £3 E. MADISON ST. 
NEW YORK CHICAGO. 
?N° Galloway 
“BATH IN QSL” 
High Grade Separator—Direct 
Save $25 to $50 direct at my factory 
price—freight prepaid. Get the only 
Separator that runs in “Bath of Oil,” 
like a $5,000 automobile. This 
alone is worth $50 extra, but 
costs you nothing extra. 
Take 
90 Days 7 
Farm Test— Freight Prepaid 
Why pay $85 to $110 to dealers or agents 
who cannot sell you a separator equal 
to the Galloway—closest skimmer— 
easiest run—easiest cleaned—10-yr. 
guarantee. Send for BOOK FREE 
WM. CALLOWAY CO. 
G63 Galloway St a., Waterloo, I&« 
“Caldwell Special” 
60 Days 
Trial FREE 
Prove it on your 
own premises that 
it saves time, 
saves labor and 
makes money. 
Yhe “Caldwell Special” is as clean cut as a 
race horse. Built right— works right. Sim- 
oly built—always gives full H. P. Costs little 
to run—big profit producer to pump water, 
run cream separator, shred or grind corn 
and a dozen other things. 
prove it to you on your own pr 
our expense that you cannot afford to do 
without a “Caldwell Special.” 
CALDWELL-HOLLOWELL MFG. CO. 
511 Commerce St., WATERLOO, IOWA. 
FOR FAST, PERFECT, 
ECONOMICAL WORK 
you must use Gale-Baldwin cutters. The only 
perfect, successful cutter for ensilage and dry 
fodder. Does the work with less power. In less 
time, than any other. Just the machine for 
people with llghtpo wer engines. You'll find that 
Gale-Baldwin 
ENSILAGE GUTTERS 
are best after carefu 1 i nvest I gatlon. They are the 
up-to-date cutters, with elevators to fill the high¬ 
est silos. Safety flywheel, safety treadle lever. 
Cut i different lengths, cut fastest, feed easiest. 
With or without traveling feed table. We will 
eaveyou money, if you write now for Free Book. 
FREE 
BOOK 
BEFORE YOU BUY WRITE FOR 
NEW CATALOG DESCRIBING THE 
GUARANTEED MONEY-SAVING 
INTERNATIONAL 
SI LOS 
strongest built, simplest to put up and easiest operated 
on the market. Adjustable automatic take-up hoop- 
continuous open-door front—air-tight door and per¬ 
manent ladder are some of the unusual features. The 
International Silo Co., Kox 13 , Li nos vi He, Pa. 
A Simple and Cheap Milk Cooler 
This milk cooler is noted for its wonderful efficiency. It does the work of coolers 
costing four times as much. Either running ice water, well or spring water can be 
used, and It win cool the milk to within two degrees of the medium used. 
The New and FlI \ IfDT AM MILK COOLER. 
Improved Vtil/llvlr lUill AERATOR 
requires no attention. Simple in construction and easily cleaned. Strong and durable. 
16 years on the market. Write for prices and catalogue, telling how to secure one on trial. 
CHAMPION MILK COOLER CO.. 11th St.. Cortland, N. Y. 
NICORN DAIRY RATION “"g n " s s aS“ 
than any other feed : that is why it makes more milk—9 lbs. of UNICORN 
equals 10 to 14 lbs. of anv other ration. Send for Booklet. 
CIIAPIN & CO. 1HIPFALO, !S T . Y. 
The Gomplete 
Machine 
_Cuts and Elevates 
7 to 25 Tons an Hour 
Climax Ensilage Cutter 
Simplest, cheapest and most perfect working of all ensilage 
machines. Cuts and elevates at one operation, with no litter 
or waste. No other style of cutter compares with the 
Inward Shearing Gut 
of knives and the Climax is the only cutter that has 
it. Don't be caught by bare claims of superiority 
without proof. Read the record of tire Fair and 
other Competitive Tests. We are always anxious to 
let the Climax work side by side with any other machine, 
the buyer to take the best. If you want to be sure of the best, ask 
for the competitive test. Send for free catalog. 
WARSAW-WILKINSOW CO., 50 Highland Ave., War.aw, N. Y. v 
