&
Garden
VOL.. LXIII
JUN261908
INDIANAPOLIS,   JUNE 27, 1908.
NO. 26
gxpevicncz fcpavtmcut .^
DAIRY COW VALUES.
[Note: The question discussed this
week is, "If one cow produces C pounds
and another oue 12 pounds of butter per
week, other things being equal, how much
more is the second cow worth than the
lirst V—Ed.]
Some Plain Figures.
lst Premium.—The difference in the
value of the 12 pounds of butter per week
sow ns compared with the six pounds a
week is greater than one would think. An
analysis of the figures brings out the following:
Taking ten months as the time the cow
is milked in the year, the 12 pound cow
would give 51G pounds in a year, which at
L'O cents per pound saquals $103.20. The
six pounds cow gives 258 pounds, which
at 20 cents equals $51.00.
Dairymen have found the cost of feed
fair a eow for a year to be about $40, and
on the farm the manure will pay for the
sure. In that case give the 12 pounds
cow wouhl give a profit of $63.20, and the
(i pound cow a profit of $11.60, so that the
12 pound cow would give about 5% times
as much profit. In other words, it would
lie more profitable to keep one 12 pound
.ow than five 6 pound cows. So that if
ihe 6 pound cow is worth $40, the 12
pound cow ought to be worth $220. In
case the manure cannot be used and the
care must be charged up, that will amount
to at least $10 per cow, and then the results will be quite different, as the pro-
lit from the 12 pound cow will be $63.20
nisi from the 6 pound cow $11.60. The
profit from the 12 pound cow would be 33
times as great, showing that it would be
more profitable to keep one 12 pound cow
than thirty-three 6 pound cows. Then if
the 6 pound cow is worth $40 the 12 pound
cow is worth $13.20. The difference is
really greater than these figures indicate.
sSo it is plain that a poor cow is dear at
auy price and that a good cow is worth her
price even if it seems rather high.
P.
Don't Keep an Inferior Cow.
2d Premium.—At the first glance we
naturally think that if one cow is capable
of producing 12 pounds of butter per week
while another under the same circumstances will only produce 6 pounds per
week, the one that produces 6 pounds is
worth one-half as much as the other, but
this is not true in every sense. There
is only one thing in favor of giving the 6
I'siind ww a one-half credit, and that is
•he manure value, which is no small item
1 assure you, ns an inferior cow will pro-
'luce as much manure as a good cow. But
"ii the other hand there is quite a number
°f farmers who keep a certain definite
"umber of eows. If it is only 1 or 2,
«nd those are inferior cows, it is plain
l" see what the difference will be. Again,
if we have a cow or a herd of cows that
ire above an average we will give them
•i better chance tban we would ifthey were
only medium or below the average. A
tow does not necessarily need be a fall-
'Jlood for good results, but possibly it is
''ctter if she is, as the best is none too
K°od\. I think the Jersey fills the bill better for all purposes than any other breed,
'■"less we expect to sell milk. . The Jer-
8ty s flow of milk as a rule is not so great
as in some other breeds,    but the butter
With stock that is eligible
have no trouble in selling
the calves at a good price, while the calf
from a mixed breed will have to run with
the cow and be sold to the butcher.
As to telling exactly in dollars and cents
how much more one cow is worth than another, that depends upon circumstances,
but it is safe to say if one cow will produce double the amount of butter under
the same circumstances she is worth far
more than two to one. We should not
be contented with an inferior cow aud keep
her from year to year. She is dear at any
price.       Get rid of her and get a good one
yield an equal amount, and twice as
much stable room would be required to accommodate them; besides, anyone who has
had experience knows that it is much easier to milk the same amount of milk from
one cow than from two. Not only this,
but the cow that produces 12 pounds of
butter per week is likely to be well bred,
with a long string of butter-producing ancestors behind her, and may be valuable
for breeding purposes. This is a very
valuable asset in any cow, as it has a bearing on the value of the future herd. He
who lays the foundation for a successful
dairy herd is a benefactor of future gen-
On a Marion County Farm.    Home of John E. Webb.
in her place. Then do the fair thing by
her take a pride in procuring good milk
and butter producing feed for her, and
she will surely pay for all extra expense
and labor. A good individual and then
good care; these two points go hand in
hand,    if a cow is to yield a profit.
G.
Time and Labor Saved.
3d Premium.—The relative value of the
cow is a matter quite difficult of estimation when there are as many points to be
considered. Some cows eat more than
others, some are dry during a longer period, some are disagreeable to milk, and
others are breachy, wild or nervous. However, when all considerations are laid aside
except the production of butter the problem becomes easier, and yet even in this
there are differences of opinion. It has
become well understood that some cows
have the faculty of assimilating their feed
and converting a larger proportion of it
into butter fat than others. All other
things being equal, the cow that produces
12 pounds of butter per week while another produces but six, would at /first glance
be considered worth twice as much as the
one producing the lesser amount since a
double return is received for the feed consumed.
The return derived from an investment
is the chief factor in determining its value,
but in tbis case it is not alone the first
oost of the cow that must be considered.
To keep the cows that produce each six
pounds per week would require twice the
time and labor to feed and care for them
as to look after the one cow that would
reations, and belongs to the class of whom
it is said 'their works do follow them."
Hence, when the immediate return is
considered, the cow that produces 12
pounds of butter per week is found doubly
valuable, but when the indirect return also is considered we find her trebly so.
H.
No. 643, July 4.—What is the true
meaning of Independence Day? How
should It be celebrated?
No. 644, July 11.—Some recipes for canning or otherwise preserving tomatoes,
sweet corn and other vegetables. ,
No. 045, July 18.—Experience in raising ducks. Are they as profitable as
chickens?     Are they hard to manage?
Premiums of $1.00, 75 cents and 50
cents are given for first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Send manuscript one
week before date of publication. Address
Indiana Farmer Co., Indianapolis. Ind.
.spring of 1887.    During these 21 years we
have had a few failures, but no more !han
many newly settled    countries    have had,
and perhaps no more than many older ones
have had.    At   any rate   I am not   at all
sorry that I located here 21 years ago.    I
cm quite sure that many people from the
east could very materially better their condition, both financially and physically by
coming west.    Our crops for the past eight
years, have   been splendid,    the   yield of
grain many times wns far beyond our expectation, and many times one crop would
easily pay for the land it was grown on.
and many  times the first crop of corn on
new land, or sod crop as we call it wculsl
make a yield of 25 bushels per acre.    And
we can grow most everything here, sueh as
all kinds of grains,   vegetables   to perfection, potatoes yielding as high as 225 bushels of marketable potatoes    per acre.    In
the year 1006 1 had the pleasure of taking
au exhibit from this county,    Phillips, to
the State Fair at Pueblo,     Colorado, an!
after the battle was   over and the smoke
cleared away, I found that     I had to my
credit thirteen premiums, 6 first and 7 seconds and mind you we are not in the irrigated section of Colorado.    We are in the
rain belt of North eastern Colorado, where
18 inches of rain fall will mature a yield
of grain from 20 to 45 bushels per acre of
wheat, and 25 to 60 of oats and about the
same of speltz.    And     from 25 to 45     of
corn, and where one man with four horses
can successfully care for 125 to 150 acres
of corn.    Our soil, is a rich, black sandy
loam, and easily    worked, and    varies in
depth from 12 inches to 5 feet   Land here
has doubled in value the past    five years,
and if the present prospect holds good until onr crops are safely harvested the price
of land is sure to double up    again.    We
have a    healthful    climate, pure    water,
a rich and productive soil, plenty of room
to breathe, and why can't we grow, acd
prosper and be happy?    We   must   close,
but not until we congratulate the Farmer
for   the   stand    it takes   on    prohibition.
Stand firm; don't give up.    Help to save
the young people of our country, to make
noble men and women of   them, and help
them to help themselves and help us throw
off this cursed yoke, from the necks of this
American Government, and make them to
see that these young lives that are blotted
out by this damnable curse are much more
valuable to this government of ours than
the pittance or revenue received from th's
debauchery.     Your for Victory; it's ours.
Holyoke, Colo. A. C. C.
LETTER FROM   COLORADO.
Ealltors  Insliana Farmer:
The Farmer is a welcome and interesting weekly visitor here. We find many
things in the Farmer that are useful to us
in our every day life, if we only take them
and use them. We are proud of the Farmer, for Indiana is our native state. We
were born in the southern part of the str.ta
some 46 years ago, but left there in the
early part of the 80's and finally rounded
up in Eastern Colorado, where pure nir
nnd sunshine make one's life vigorous and
happy. I came to Colorado in the year
1886 and took up a homestead, and have
resided on the same continuously since the
Dr. David Buckeloo, a citizen of Kalamazoo, Mich., has just experienced his
third lightning stroke, and now lies in an
unconscious condition at his home, with
chances against his recovery. While he
was sitting at his desk and a dozen people
were in the store to escape the rain, Mr.
Buckeloo was knocked from the chair by
a bolt of lightning, which struck the
ground outside and then entered the store.
A year ngo, while Mr. Buckeloo was
walking home, he was struck by lightning
and for two months hovered between life
nnd death. Two years ago he had part
of his clothing stripped from his body by
lightning. During the time he was confined
after the second stroke Mr. Buckeloo suffered terrible agony.
A big elevator in Hammond was burned recently with 2,50,000 bushels of corn.
More than 20 freight cars were also burned. A hot box on a small wheel on a
grain belt caused the fire.