THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 9, 26 August 1911, Page 4

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Grading Up. A dairy farmer from Scotland, who has recently visited Denmark, thus records Ins impressions upon the rapidity of Danish progress in grading up their stock. i he*l,ooo,ooo dairy cows of Denmark arc conlincd exclusively to two breeds —ilie Danish rod of Zealand and tho islands, and the Jyskc, or black and white cow of Jutland. Both of these have been developed within the last 35 years from tho native stock of the country by careful selection for milk production. Tho development of the breeds to such a high degree in 25 to 30 years lias boon clue to intelligence and common sense in selecting and breeding for milk production alone, and the eiliciency of these cows is a striking example of what may bo accomplished in a short time if good, systematic work is done and common sense and judgment are exercised. While many of tiie bulls used are young and untried, they are always individuals of merit, and from cows with large records. Only the best heifers are raised, and with the record of the dam and the qualities of the sire known, their selection is comparatively simple, and better cows can bo raised than can be bought on tho open market. The price of tiie cows is from £l6 to £lB, some of the host averaging as high as £2O, so that it is also profitable from the financial standpoint to raise the young stock to replenish the herd. Heifers drop their first calf from 2 to 2£ years of age, and if they prove to bo good producers are usually kept in tho dairy until 12 years old, when they are fattened for beef. Tiie cows are treated with kindness, and every effort is made to have them comfortable at all times. On many farms the cows are generally groomed. Tethering the cows on grass is usual in the spring and summer, for a portion of tbo day at least. Many of the dairymen on the small, farms milk three times a day, having ten cows to the milker. On the largo farms they usually milk but twice a day, having from 15 to 20 cows to the milker, requiring 2-j- hours night and morning to do the milking. The cows are allowed to go dry from six to eight weeks. To supply the Danish export trade of-butter an even flow of milk is required the year round. The male calvao and any heifers not needed for future cows are sold for veal at from three to four weeks old. Calves arc not allowed to suckle their dams. They are fed whole milk for the first week. After this it is gradually changed to skim •milk, and this is fed to the heifers until they are four to six months old. From this time on they are raised on pasture during the summer, and in tho winter are given hay, straw and roots and sometimes a little oil cake.

Dehorning Cattle. In the ordinary business dairy herd there are many reasons why animals should be dehorned. Dehorned cows give better results than cows with norns, simply because they are more peaceable and do not fear one another. In their wild state, cows'needed their horns for protection, but not so when domesticated. They often do a great deal of harm by injuring each oilier. The only case where it is advisable to leave the horns is when raising high class animals that are likely to bo used for show purposes. In the ring the animals with Horns have uo doubt a better chance for raizes than those that have' been de-

horned. 1 ’ . The best time to dehorn an animal

is when',it is, only a few days old, by_ using caustic potash. But after the horns have made a fair growth, they can best be cut off with the saw or clippers. The animals should be fastened securely in a position where the operator can get at the horns. The best method of fastening the animals is to put in a chute built for this purpose. In sawing or clipping the horn care should be taken to cut deep enough or the horn will grow out again. The clipping should be deep enough to include a ring of skin and hair; and the base of the horn that is amputated should show a ring of hair. As soon as the horn is cut off, some disinfectant should be used on the fresh cut. Pino tar or some of the coal tar dips are good for this purpose. Dehorning should be clone in late autumn or early spring; at this time, the weather is moderate and free from Hies.

The reason as often given for not dehorning dairy cows is that it will cause them to fall off in their milk flow. If the cows are properly cared for after they are dehorned tuey will soon recover from the shock of dehorning, and the decrease in milk flow will not bo to any serious degree.

Twelve cows in the herd at the Kansas State Agricultural College, as reported by “Hoard’s Dairyman,” were recently dehorned, and a record of the milk production of each cow was kept before and after dehorning. The total production of the twelve cows for five days before dehorning amounted to 1142.51 bof milk. Tho total production of the twelve cows for a period of five days after dehorning was 110U.71b of milk. The total decrease in milk for the twelve cows during the above periods was 40.81 b. The average daily loss for each cow for- five days was only .691 b, or about one-half pint. Two of the cows made more milk during tho five days after dehorning than they did for the five days before dehorning; the other ten produced less milk after dehorning. On the fifth day after dehorning all except two cows were producing equally as much, and some produced more than they did .the day before they were dehorned.