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Show u VALUE OF ALFALFA FOR DAIRY COWS.. Alfalfa has become such a common crop in the valleys of Idaho that few among 113 appreciate what a wonderful wonder-ful fl'ant it is and only do wc appreciate appre-ciate alfalfa when wc sec our' fellow fel-low farmers trying to grow it in some parts of the United States. When wc read of farmers drilling lime on their land that they may get a stand of this1 crop, then when dairymen dairy-men pay $20 p'cr ton for alfalfa meal to feed to dairy cows', wc in Idaho can congratulate ourselves that alfalfa is grown so plentifully here. Dairying is yet in its infancy in Idaho, but when all alfalfa growers realize what they have in the way of jJ feed for dairy cows the dairy businiss will go to th. front and alfalfa will be a $12 pt"1 ton sn place of $S per ton. Wc value every ton of alfalfa at $12 whether grown or bought just so it is consumed hv our cows. Wc also value cvsry hundred of grain consumed con-sumed by these cows at $2..so. I will explain how wc do this: First vi have good dairy cows bred for dairy animals, not beef stock. Second, wc give them proper care. And last but not least wc give them jVeuty to cat. This includes the secret. sec-ret. Follow those three points and your dairying will be a' success. On our dairy three miles east of Caldwell we have 11 cows and we milk on an avemge so far this year, nine head and the average gross earn- ing has been over $100 per month, in just butter andJ cream. , Another year these cows will do far better than this. But we will . figure on the fourth of . April, wh-n the gross earnings were $ios..4o. Nine head were in milk but not all full flow. Now then, they consumed on an average of 25 lbs. of hay per day, when it is all chofped up fine. Of thu I shall speak later. Wc will charge these cows up with $12 per ton for tfr tons of hay, making cost of hay $51. Wc also fed one thousand pounds of grain at $2..so per hundred, making $30. Wc have yet the skimmed milk, butter milk and young stock and $24.40 in money left from a month's work of these cows. Wc arc well pleased with the dairy business and wc arc satis-ficld satis-ficld that by another year wc can increase in-crease the yield of this herd. H. C. Watson in the Gem State Rural. o |