DAIRY FACTS HEALTHY COWS GIVE ' HIGH QUALITY MILK (Prepared by the United States Department o( Agriculture.) The pnrchase of a good herd bull is the first forward step in producing better calves at a less cost per pound. In common or grade herds calves sired by good pure bred beef bulls weigh on the average about 125' pounds a head more when one year old than calves of the same age sired by the general run of scrub bulls, says the United States Department of Ag riculture, and they sell for about 2 cents a pound more as Stockers and feeders. Two-year-old steers sired by good pure bred bulls weigh on an av erage about 200 pounds a head more than steers of the same age sired by scrub bulis, and sell for from 2 to 4 cents a pounds more as Stockers and feeders. In the case of yearlings, scrubs weigh about 300 pounds, and when they sell for about 4 cents a pound as Stockers and feeders they bring $12 a head, while grades at the same age weigh about 425 pounds, and will sell for about 2 cents more, or 0 cents a pound, bringing $25.50. Two-year old scrubs weigh about 525 pounds a head, and, assuming that they sell for 8 cents a pound, will bring $42 a head, while grades of equal age weigh about 725 pounds, and at 2 cents more a pound (10 cents) as Stockers and feed ers. bring $72.50. There is practically no difference ln^ the cost of feed for the two classes of calves up to the yearling age, but from fhat time on grades develop more capacity nnd require more feed than scrubs. The difference In cost of feed, however, is a very smaH item when the offspring of the goo(f bulls are worth practically twice os much ns those of scrub bulls. There Are Many Coffee Cows in United States There are 3,000,000 coffee cows un'd 750,000 tea cows in the United States declare dairy statisticians of the United States Department of Agricul ture. That is to say, the quantity of milk and cream used In tea and coffee In the United States is equivalent to the production from that many cows. Coffee consumption is around 1,000, 000,000 pounds annually or approxi mately 40,000,000,000 cups. This re quires 40,000,000,000 ounces of cream, the milk equivalent of which Is 12, 500,000,000 pounds, or practically one eighth the total production of milk in the United States. Consumption of tea in the Unity! States is practically 85,000,000 pounds or approximately 21,000,000,000 cups. The quantity of cream used in ten av erages only dT)e-half that In coffee or one-half ounce per cup, or a total In terms of milk of over 8,000,000,000 pounds. f Making liberal allowances for the use of milk in coffee and tea or of half milk and half cream, there still would he more than one-eighth the total production of milk used In these two beverages. The department's sur vey also brought out the fact that one tenth the sugar consumed for all pur poses in the United States Is used in coffee and tea, the quantity thus con sumed being 800,000,000 pounds a year. Consumption of Cream and Milk Is Increased Consumption of fluid milk and cream ' In both fa,rm and city homes hns been increasing rapidly for several years, a survey just completed by the United States department of Agriculture in dicates. Average consumption in 1023 was 53 gallons, compared with 50 gal lons in 1922, and 49 gallons in 1921. The average dally consumption In 1923 figures out 1.6 pints per person. Farm people who have producing cows consume more milk and cream than do city people, but farm people without cows or with nonproducing cows, consume less than do city people, the survey shows. Average daily per capita consumption on farms having cows was 1.78 pints in 1923; on farms without cows or having nonproducers the average consumption was .775 of a pint, and in city homes the per capita daily consumption averaged .87 of a pint. The farm figures were tabulated from approximately 30,000 schedules of consumption on individual farms, and represent the most comprehensive survey ever made of milk and cream consumption. Data on consumption ' in cities were obtained principally from boards of health and covered nearly 300 cities, or about 25,000.000 people. 9 , Dairy Cow’s Requirements A dairy cow's requirements are measured by her biffly weight and milk production. An average dairy cow giving a good flow of milk re quires about 50 pounds of silage and 15 pounds of alfalfa or clover hay besides a grain ration of from 6 to Id pounds. Some farmers have the Idea they do not need a silo because they have alfalfa or clover. This Is a great mistake and a most wasteful and incorrect conception of feeding Legume hay is not a balanced food. RAISING CHICKS FOR BEST EGG PRODUCERS (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) Arrangements must be made to raise chicks to replenish the poultry flocks. Pullets are the most profitable part of the laying flock, and a well-balanced laying flock should consist of at least half pullets; which allows careful cull ing of the hens during the summer and fall before the pullets are matured, according to the United States Depart ment of Agriculture. Baby chicks need especially careful attention in Breeding and feeding dur ing the first weeks of their lives, which should be followed by careful and reg ular attention throughout their grow ing period. Early hatched chicks are by far the most profitable whether grown to maturity for laying or sold as poultry flesh. The brooder house and Stove heater which are used for eariijg for the chicks during the first few weeks of their lives, must be in working order before the chicks arrive. The most common style of brooding is the use of a stove brooder in a colony house, keeping from 350 to 500 chicks in a flock in each house, and placing the houses about 150 feet apart on a good grass range. A house 10x14 feet makes a suitable colony hpuse which can be easily moved if built on run ners. Chicks brooded *in the winter will do better in a larger house, about 10x20, partitioned so that one side Is used for a brooder stove and the other for a cool exercising room. Wire net ting should be placed in the corners of the brooder house to prevent the chicks huddling and crowding in the corners. unicKS snouin nor ue ieu iur me moi 36 to 48 hours, after which they should be supplied regularly four or five times dally with easily digested feed which contains little waste material. They should be fed sparingly until about the fifth day; then they can be put on full ration. An excellent feed can be made of infertile eggs taken from the incubator, boiled for 15 minutes, jhopned and mixed with dry mash of equal parts of, cracker meal, bran and^ cowimeal, using a sufficient amount of the grain to make a dry, crumbly mlxturd. Middlings can be used In place of the cracker meal. Dry rolled oats are excellent for chicks and can be used as on« feed, the other twd or three feeds being the commercial chick grains. At two weeks of age the chicks can ha given a dry mash, in a hopper, con sisting of 4 parts by weight of rolled oats, 2 parts bran, 2 parts cornmeal, 1 part high-grade ment scrap, 1 part middlings and % <|>art dried buttermilk. Commercial chick feed should be fed three times daily in addition to the dry mash. Milk is an excellent feed for chicks and fehould be provided either as a liquid or in the dry form to secure best growth. If liquid milk is avail able the dried milk' can be omitted. When the chicks are one month old they should be fed a conrser or inter mediate chick grain, and at about two months of age the scratch feed can be changed to* equal parts of wheat and cracked corn. This should be fed two or three times a’ day. / _■_ Concrete Floors Avert Dampness in Quarters Many farmers who In former years lost money In poultry raising are now making It a success, all because they are learning <^at clean, dry quarters for poultry keep the flocks healthy und result in larger egg production and better birds for the market. A chicken coop with a floor that Is likely to become muddy in wet weather and to become a source of dust in dry weather is not conducive to healthy poultry. Concrete floors are now being laid in chicken coops In increasing num bers. The farmer lias found that these floors save his flock in many ways by prevention of mud and dust and by checking the rat mennce. Con Crete floors prevent rats burrowing under the coops if the floors are sur rounded by a low concrete wall about 18 inches high. And if rats do enter the coops through the doors there is no chance for them to burrow Into the ground to build nests. Exclusion of rats means a g#reat saving of eggs and young chicks. A good, practical hen house floor Is one two inches thick, made of a “rich” concrete mixture, in which three parts o< sand are used to one part of Portland cement. This floor should be well smoothed over with a trowel. Before laying a concrete floor a sat isfactory base should be made to give adequate provision for drainage. An eight-inch fill of coarse crushed rock or cinders makes a good base for a concrete hen house floor. Cleanliness Important Nowhere is cleanliness more impor tant than in the rearing of little chicks. Their lungs and entire organ isms may be stunted and permanently weakened by compelling them to sleep In filthy quarters, breathing impure air night after night. Clean out the brooders and coops often, every day if possible, and give them a good sun ning and ailing. Nothing is more health-giving and Inexpensive than pure air, for chicks as well as old fowls. 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