Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1866-05-02
From them. e. Farmer,
SHALL WE RAISE THE CALVES THIS
YEAR.


Mr., "A. L. W." of Hope, Me-, says yes
in the Farmer" of April 9TH.
Now | do not wish to raise my calves
| am near Boston market, and have with
in year sold a calf at six weeks old for
more than two ten-dollar greenbacBs. to a
Boston butcher; and, had been situated
still nearer the city, | could have received
considerably more than the amount for
the milk the calf consumed.
l think | speak the minds of most of
Che farmers of Eastern Massachusetts, es-
peeially those who make milk for our
large towns and cities, when | say to Mr..
"a. l.. W." and his Maine neighbors, that
we caanct afford to raise our calves. We
#eaid prefer to buy our cows and oxen of
you, or of others situated as you are, a.
midst the best of grass and pasture lands,
and further from large home markets.
But if you expect to furnish US with
our cows ready grown, you must do it to
order. We do want good COWS. We are
as ready to pay $780, as $50, if We get
our moneys worth and it'costi little if
any more to send us cows worth 500.
than to send such as sell slowly at half
that sum.
Not many years ago could 60 to Brigh.
ton, in October, and buy as many heifers
that were supposed to beawith calf and
were coming three years old, as | had $40
bills As good COW as | ever MIXED
was bought in that way, and for that
amount Of money.
But in the same lot were half dozen
others that proved worthless. Some were
wild, some ugly, some had short teats,
some went dry too long, and some gave
very little milk, aud that of an inferior
quality--so that if wanted one good
cow, had to buy several and try them.
In other words, had to buy all the calves
that one Maine or New Hampshire farmer
raised in one year in order to get one good
COW; making the one good COW cost two
or threc times as much as it ought, and
giving you only third or half of what
you might have received, if you had only
raised good stock.
Judging from the stock that comes to
Brighton from Maine, should think you
might have some calves this year that had
better be sold to the first butcher that will
give $40 spot in exchange.
ia this weeks Farmer, mich COWS are
quoted at Brighton from $50 to $75; ex-
ira $50 to $l35. A difference of $50 be-
tween the best common and the best extra
and $75 between the poorest common and
1.-THE best extra. Does it require long ar
gument to convince Mr.. "a. l.. w." or
any OF the farmers in the country who
raise stock for the markets, that it will be
), profitable or otherwise to raise calves this
according to the quality of the stock by
which they are produced =? If the cow
that brings $50 has paid her board, the
one that brings $l25 has certainly paid a
profit in addition. But if the best COW
has cost all she will bring, the other has
certainly run the farmer who aaised her
in debt to the amount of $75.
In your appeal to the farmers you close
by saying raise the calves-by all means
raise the calves this year. | beg leave
to modify the appeal by saying. raise all
the calves that you have good reason to
believe will be worth more at three years
of age than it has cost to carry them to
that age By no means raise any others.
A. W. CHEEvER.
Nrentham, Mass APR. 10, 1866.