San Luis Obispo County History

Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

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Source:
A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara,
San Luis Obispo, and Ventura, California
by Yda Addis Storke
Published in 1891 in Chicago by the Lewis Publishing Co.


DAIRYING

We believe that California has advantages second to no State in the Union for dairying 
and cattle raising; the only drawback being the high price of labor; but the soil, climate 
and native grasses are all exceedingly favorable, making San Luis Obispo County one 
of the best, if not the banner county for this industry. 

Although one of the youngest counties in the business, and for many years compara- 
tively inaccessible, it has long occupied the second place for productiveness, and now 
claims the first place. 

The rainy and consequently grass season is expected in November or December and lasts 
till June � that is, the season for green and growing native grasses produced spontaneously, 
wild oats and volunteer grain often being five inches high during the first of December. The 
climate is peculiarly fitted for dairying, on account of the feed grasses, and general vegetation 
being constantly kept in good condition by the moisture from the ocean, besides the regular 
rainy seasons, and there being no necessity for irrigation; the trade winds make the climate 
warmer in winter, keeping off frosts and freezing weather. 

As a result of such a climate and soil we have a luxurious growth of the most nutritious 
grasses known on this coast; all kinds of small grain, corn, roots, alfalfa, Australian rye and 
orchard and other foreign grasses are grown successfully. 

At the commencement of the rainy season the native grasses, to-wit, wild oats, alfilaria, 
various kinds of clover and bunch grass spring up as if by magic. Later comes the 
alfalfa, which continues green all the year except during the very few frosty nights when 
it is cut down; but the first crop in winter, being rank and sour, is cut and used for hay. 
The dairy cows are also fed green corn, and later, roots, squashes and hay; the squashes 
will keep nearly all winter if well matured, and the carrots and beets may remain in the 
ground till needed, and will keep growing, and are often carried over until the next sea- 
son. In that case they will come in for feed when the native grasses begin to mature and 
dry, and consequently need something to go with them. 

Thus it will be seen that there is no need of resorting to silos in order to have the proper 
milk-producing feed the year round. The native grasses, when they mature dry and 
remain upon the ground, make a very good quality of hay in this climate, and the seeds 
of the burr clover, particularly, are like grain, on which the stock cattle and dry cows sub- 
sist during the whole dry season. The number of squashes and roots that can be grown 
to the acre is wonderful � from twenty to forty tons of green corn, alfalfa and squash; 
from fifty to 100 tons of roots; the writer has weiged single mangel-wurtzels that aver- 
aged over 100 pounds, and squashes 270 pounds. He also made a three-days test of 
the milk from 150 cows while grazing on the native grasses, to ascertain the value of the 
milk for butter and cheese. The cream was separated from the milk by a Lavel Separa- 
tor, and 17.76 pounds of milk made a pound of butter, eight and three eighths pounds of 
milk made one pound of cheese from the press, good solid cheese; thus demonstrating 
the native grasses to be the very best cheese and butter producing food. In most locali- 
ties it takes about ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese, and twenty-five 
pounds of milk to make a pound of butter on the average. The above test was made from 
all the milk of 150 cows for three consecutive days, furnishing a test of the most conclusive 
character. 

For thirty years there has not been a day in which there has not been made cheese or 
butter in some of the dairies there. When put to extra expense, by raising feed, prices 
of produce are higher. By milking the year round they keep their best help, distribute 
the calf-raising, keep their business organized and their stock in good condition. Thus 
they can dairy profitably the year round. 

A Holstein cow that was fed bran and shorts in addition to grass, and milked twice 
a day, made by actual weight 17,270 pounds of milk in one year. It was her first year 
in the county, and she was carrying a calf during eight months of the time. Several of 
two-year-old Holstein heifers, under precisely the same treatment, made about 10,250 
pounds of milk in one year. It can safely be said from the above showing that San Luis 
Obispo is the banner dairy county, and that her cows and grasses can not be excelled in 
this or any other State.