DAIRYING IN FLORIDA By JOHN M. SCOTT Dairying in Florida has not reached the point of greatest de- velopment. Neither will that point be reached until the proper feeding and care of dairy animals is understood and practiced. Both are factors in upbuilding the industry; one being perhaps of as great importance as the other. For without proper care and management all results obtained by good feeding may be lost. The number of dairy cows in Florida July 1, 1916, as reported by the Commissioner of Agriculture in his fourteenth biennial report, was 41,949. The quantity of milk produced by these cows is reported at 11,090,638 gallons, or a yearly average of 264.4 gallons per head. This average production indicates that the majority of dairy cows in the State do not produce enough milk to pay for their feed and care. The methods by which the standard of production can be raised and the quality of milk improved deserve careful consideration. Unquestionably, im- provement can be made; and if the suggestions given in this bulletin are followed milk production in Florida can be doubled in ten years' time. Milk and cream just as good and pure as that in any .other state can be produced in Florida, altho some contend that our warm climate is not conducive to producing milk of good quality. It should be remembered in this connection that sunshine is one of the best disinfectants to be had and, also, that sand is an ex- cellent filter. Florida has her share of both sunshine and sand. This means there should be no dirty, unsanitary barn lots-a condition often associated with a clay soil. Our mild climate and the abundance of sunshine means that cows do not have to be kept in the barn from three to five months of the year, but that they can be in the open practically every day. This means healthy cows, which alone is an important consideration. MORE DAIRY CATTLE NEEDED The dairy industry in Florida -is hardly begun. While there are forty thousand so-called dairy cows in the State, perhaps not more than one-fourth of them produce enough milk to pay for the feed eaten. Instead of having forty thousand dairy cows, Florida should have three to four times that number. This does 59