Two Farmers Who Started With Nothing and Built Dairy Fortunes

HOW TWO FARMERS ACHIEVED SUCCESS By C. L. Smith

Mr. H. P. Ahlberg is a Scandinavian, who has been in the country 30 years, 28 of which have been spent on his present farm. He had a liberal education, a fair knowledge and experience as a gardener, good health, but no money. For fifteen years he devoted more attention to gardening and general farming than to stock, but the results were not satisfactory. His attention was directed to dairying by the example of his friend and neighbor, Chris Sorenson. He got together a small herd of cows of mixed breed and varying capacity for dairy work. Mr. Ahlberg, however, applied himself diligently to the study of dairy literature, purchased a separator and a Babcock test. He began weighing and testing the milk of each individual cow. Careful records were kept and the unprofitable cows were weeded out. He studied the character and type of the profitable cows and in making purchases to replace those sent to the butcher he endeavored to select those that gave promise of improvement. Many mistakes were made and much experience gained, which led logically up to the conclusion that the cheapest, most satisfactory way to get profitable dairy cows was to raise them. This conclusion led to the study of breeds and breeding; the purchase of a full-blood Jersey bull of strong dairy type. This was followed by more rapid improvement in the capacity of the herd to produce butter at a profit. Today, although the herd is small, the average product per cow for the herd is the largest of any in the valley, being over 400 pounds of butter per cow for the year. Mr. Ahlberg is a careful, intelligent feeder, his cows are kindly treated, fed and milked regularly, heifers are handled and fed with the idea of developing their dairy capacity and yet he meets with many disappointments, as with the best of care many of the heifers fail to develop capacity for production sufficient to make them satisfactory cows for the dairy. One commendable feature of Mr. Ahlberg's work is found in the fact that although intensely interested in building up a profitable dairy herd, he has not lost his taste for and interest in other things. He has a beautiful home surrounded with beautiful trees, shrubs and flowers; a well kept lawn, a good garden, a large barn and necessary out-buildings, everything being kept clean, neat and tidy, showing both taste and thrift. He has on his grounds nearly every variety of tree ever found in a nursery catalogue, among which are some beautiful specimens of Royal English oak. It would be unfair to assume that Mr. Ahlberg had achieved this alone. He has been ably assisted by an intelligent, energetic wife. His daughter, who seems to enjoy milking the mild-eyed, docile Jersey cows, might easily pose as models of health and happiness. Mr. Ahlberg's family home and dairy well illustrate the better side of farm life and the possibilities to be attained by a combination of taste, intelligence, energy and perseverance in utilizing the opportunities of a mild climate, fertile soil and good market.

Mr. F. H. Yeaton, of Ilwaco, Pacific county, is one who well illustrates how indomitable pluck, energy, perseverance and brains may surmount obstacles, overcome difficulties and win success in the business of farming. Twenty-three years ago Mr. Yeaton began with nothing but brains and muscle as capital to make a farm and home about 4 miles from Ilwaco. He was so poor he could not buy a pair of rubber boots, and as the local trader refused to trust him to a suit of underclothing, he went through the winter without any, keeping himself warm grubbing alders and digging ditches. The local trader watching him came to have enough confidence to give him a limited credit, but when bacon, flour, tools, etc., had brought the account up to $50, the trader got nervous and threatened suit. Mr. Yeaton offered to work out the amount but this offer was refused. A friend came to his relief and loaned him the $50. He continued his work of clearing and ditching. Thorough and intelligent work soon began to bear fruit, good crops were grown, live stock was purchased, the debt was paid, more land brought under cultivation, until the home farm of 160 acres was under a high state of cultivation, with a dairy of 40 good cows, besides hogs, horses and beef cattle, producing a revenue of four to five thousand dollars per year.

Mr. Yeaton's experience contains many valuable lessons, especially for such as have been unable to secure satisfactory results under similar or even much more favorable conditions. His first efforts at dairying being much less profitable than those of later years. When he first began making butter, he found that about 2½ pounds of butter per cow per week was all he could get and was somewhat discouraged until he found that one of his neighbors, who had been much longer in the business, was only getting 40 pounds of butter per week from 20 cows. One of the neighbors got a peaked Jersey bull to which he bred a few cows, but the calves were a disappointment; they lacked vigor and never developed into profitable milkers. Mr. Yeaton then concluded to try a Guernsey bull, and was fortunate enough to get a good one. The heifers of his get were a decided improvement and he has stuck to the Guernseys ever since.

About the time he bought the Guernsey bull he became interested in dairy literature. Then he bought a copy of "Henry's Feeds and Feeding," and many other books from time to time. He depends more on soiling crops than any other dairyman in his locality, growing a great variety of crops. Italian rye grass, sown in September, gives a good crop to cut for soiling by April 15. Rye is also used, but he always cuts it before it heads, as he finds the cows do not do well on rye after it begins to head out. On his farm the rye will grow all winter and makes excellent hog pasture. Musury barley is sown for a late soiling crop, and also grown for a grain crop, often yielding 100 bushels per acre.

In addition to the dairy farm, he now has 800 acres of meadow land and woods pasture devoted to stock raising. He slaughters his steers at 2 years of age, realizing an average of $35 a head. A good many hogs are raised which are generally slaughtered at six months of age. He does his own slaughtering, curing the bacon and hams on the farm, always finding a ready market for all the meat he can produce. Owing to the death of his wife, he has rented his dairy farm and is devoting his time to the development of the stock. He is a diligent student, always gathering knowledge and anxious to learn.