MILK AND FEED.* BY G. S. PHILBRICK. WE speak of the vast dairy interests of New Hampshire; we read it on the pages of every agricultural journal. Who grasps the meaning of the words? Who comprehends it? I am going to run the risk of being dull and prosy to-night by giving you a few statistics. There are in Rockingham county 12,808 cows; in Strafford county, 5,427; Belknap county, 4,970; Carroll county, 5,694; Merrimack county, 12,070; Hillsborough county, 16,002; Cheshire county, 8,355 ; Sullivan county, 6,396; Grafton county, 13,599; Coös county, 6,851, making a grand total in the State of 92,172 cows representing a cash value of fully $4,000,000. From the most careful estimates based upon experiments in different parts of the State, I assume it will cost $4,500,000 to feed the cows of New Hampshire one year. The interest on their cash value at five per cent will be $200,000; add to this $60,ooo for taxes and at the end of the year we have $8,760,000 invested in our cows, a sum equal to one fourth the capital stock of all the railroads in the State. Add to this the amount invested in buildings, creameries, and dairy utensils of all kinds, and you will then only have a part of what goes to make up one side of the vastness of the dairy interests in New Hampshire. Having thus briefly shown you something of the cost, let us turn to the other side of the account and see what we get in return for this vast outlay of money. Does it pay? and, if not, * Extracts from lectures on "Milk and Feed," delivered by G. S. Philbrick, member of the Board for Belknap county. what is the reason, and whence the remedy? Unfortunately there are no data extant sufficiently accurate to be of much practical value; but from the best information at command, I think we may safely assume that the cows of New Hampshire will not average over six quarts per day for the entire year, and for the past year that milk has not been worth over two and one half cents per quart at the place of production. Three hundred and sixty-five multiplied by six gives 2,190 quarts, which at two and one half cents per quart equals $54.75, as the gross income for each cow in the State for the year, or $5,046,417 for the entire herd of 92,172 cows. Deduct from this the cost of keeping, interest, and taxes, and we have $286,417 as the net proceeds. There are 32,000 farmers in the State of New Hampshire, averaging to keep three cows each. Dividing the $286,ooo among them in proportion to their cows, they will have the magnificent sum of nearly $9 a piece. Doubtless nine tenths of them will have to invest that in commercial fertilizers to piece out the manure pile so they can raise enough to keep the cows another year. Startling as these figures may appear they can neither be gainsaid or denied. That dairying as a whole in our State does not pay no thoughtful man will deny. That it ought to pay and can be made to is abundantly proved by the success of the few from Coös to Rockingham, who have studied the business and conducted it according to business methods. The first thing is an interest in the business and a determination to make a success of it. The next indispensable requisite is the cow. I know it is considered the correct thing to say that in the first place you must get a thoroughbred bull, and thoroughbred cows, etc., and to dilate upon the merits of the Jersey or the Guernsey, Holstein, Friesian or Short-horn, Swiss or Polled Angus, or some other breed which the speaker may chance to possess or fancy. But I do a great many incorrect things, and say a great many more, so you need not be surprised if I depart somewhat from the "beaten paths" in discussing this subject. A herd of pure-bred cattle is "a thing of beauty" and may be a "joy forever," perhaps ; I would say, get them by all means if you can. But the majority of us lack the necessary capital to start with, and sundry other essential qualities which I will indicate farther on. What I desire is, to point out a course which is feasible and within the reach of every farmer, whether he keeps 100 cows or only one. You must have noticed that some of your cows give more milk than others, when fed the same quantity; weigh or measure each mess for a week and carefully keep the record for each cow. That will give you a pretty accurate knowledge of the amount of milk every cow gives. To determine the richness of the milk, I would recommend the purchase of a "cream gauge; or, you can take common glass tumblers and fill them two thirds full of milk as soon as it is strained, while the animal heat remains in it, I mean, and set them in cold water or in a cool place for twenty-four hours, being careful that each has the same treatment as the other, as it is comparative results you are after. The accuracy of an experiment alone determines its value. Measure the thickness of the cream as you can readily do from the outside, and also make a note of its color and consistency. This test will have to be repeated several times in order to approach exactness. You will find probably a difference in the richness of the night's and morning's milk and a difference in the richness of the same cow's milk on different days, even though the feed remain the same. There is something going on in the laboratory of a cow's stomach which no chemist has as yet been able to fathom. Sunshine and clouds, harsh words or cruel treatment, excitement from any and every cause, affect both quantity and quality of milk, as every one knows who has made the cow a study. Now if you find a cow in your herd that falls below the average in quantity and quality both, you want to dispose of her to the butcher as soon as may be. If, on the other hand, she lacks only one, no matter which, try a system of feeding to correct the deficiency. Of course you all know there are certain feeds which tend to produce large quantities of milk, while certain others will add richness. As a rule you will succeed. That there are exceptions I am bound to admit, for I have a cow in my herd at the present time whose milk I have been unable to bring up to thirteen per cent solids on a system of feed which has brought the average of my herd up to considerably over fourteen per cent. What shall we feed and how feed it so as to produce the largest and best results from the least expenditure of money, are still open questions,- questions upon which dairymen differ widely. I think the more intelligent they are, the less positive that their way is absolutely infallible. Twenty-five years ago hardly a farmer in the State gave the subject a thought. If the hay crop was cut short by any means, the stock was sold off as the only way of meeting the emergency, and often at ruinously low prices. As the inevitable result, a good hay crop found them short of stock and the necessary funds to procure it. Again the competition of the great West made possible by increased facilities of transportation and the ever increasing demand for dairy products both at home and abroad, has made it absolutely necessary that something should be done. It has been our boast that there never was a demand for anything brought to the knowledge of a Yankee that his ingenuity did not supply. I believe it is true and I am confident, ay, I know, that this problem will yet be solved. Indeed, sufficient has already been done so we can safely say without fear of contradiction that one third if not one half the hay crop of New Hampshire has been fed to no purpose if not absolutely wasted. Partly because so many of the cows have been worthless for dairy purposes, partly from injudicious feeding. The old German rule that a healthy cow requires three per cent of her live weight every day in dry hay or its equivalent is substantially correct for common ones, but herds giving large quantities of milk will consume considerably more than that and must have it or they will lose either in milk or flesh and possibly in both. Last year I began a series of experiments under the suspices of the Board to determine the relative value of certain kinds of feed in the production of milk and cream. I purpose to give you the result so far as obtained. In 100 parts of ash there are about as follows: 20.668 .970 100.000 The cows selected to experiment with were grade Durhams, three in number, two of them being farrow, having dropped their calves early in April, and the other one fresh, calving in September last. ANALYSIS OF MILK. Sample A.-November 24. New milch cow fed on good hay with four quarts cob meal and four quarts of shorts daily. |