The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-11-07
Corn vs.. Hay.

There is 30 doubt that the hay crop of
New England is very small. In
many sections Of Maine it is nearly a
failure. Take it as whole it may DO as
small as in the scantiest years hitherto.
In most places the price of hay has ad.
vanccd beyond precedent, and almost a
panic prevails. | was lately told of three
cows being given for one to be returned
next spring, and Of cattle being sold for
$40 and s2O which would have brought
FIVE times as much within n twelvemonth;
cases arc Of daily occurrence where they
are sold at prices ruinously below the cost
Of growing them.
Such being the facts Of to-day, I beg to
offer through your columns,a few sugges.
tons; and the first is, that this calamity,
like others permitted by Wise Provi.
dence, has its compensations. Among
them very large one is the promised a.
bundancc Of the corn crop. The pros.
pect is such that the price has been reced.
ing rapidly for some time, and corn can
now be had in Chicago for about forty.
TWO cents per bushel. To this twenty or
even thirty cents can be added for trans.
portation, and yet ton can be laid down
in Maine for less than the current price Of
ton ofhay. At seventy cents per bush.
el Of So lbs, 1000 lbs. would cost 1926.
What may be the comparative value Of
hay and Indian corn VIC will not attempt
to state with precision. There is more
difference in the feeding value Of what is
called HAY" than there ia in that Of mar.
ketable corn. Some hay is worth great
deal more than some other hay. 1t is
held by our farmers generally that Id.
Of corn ia as good as two pounds Of aver.
age hay; that twenty bushels of Indian
meal. weighing 1000 lbs, will go as far
in wintering cattle as ton of hay: some
think twelve or fifteen bushels to be as
good as 1000 lbs. Of English hay. II
these estimates be near the truth, it
would appear that the equivalent Of q ton
Of hay can be had in Indian corn for $40
sl5. while the hay is held at twice as
much, or more.
My next suggestion is that instead Of
selling cattle at the prices they are now
bringing, they be kept over till spring
using, if need DO, as little hay and a,
much purchased concentrated food as vii
answer good purpose and instead o.
barely carrying them through alive, winter
them so well that when put to pasture
next spring they will begin at once t.
thrive, and keep on steadily thriving, ant
not lose considerable part Of the season
in making up winter losses. There il
small danger Of so many following thi
method as to glut next years market
The prospect is fair that the operation
would pay handsomely. Indeed it woul,
fevery farmer in the State should adop
t. ! am aware that the mass of Main
srmers are not In the habit Of buyin
numerical manures for their hungr
snds, nor commercial articles Of cattl
God for hungry stock, except to yer
United extent but the suggestion is Of
tered that the present is parculiarl
favorable opportunity to break up tn
habit which has prevailed extensively, {
depending 10 exclusively upon hay. Tn
is an age when old notions aud old pra,
ticcs upon many matters are being broke
into ss never before, and l believe thl
one part of the design Of wise and To-
ing Father in dispensing 80 scanty Gre
Of hay this year is to teach US muc
needed lessons, one Of which We learn
well, will be of more profit to US tina
any two crops which were ever harveste
iD the State. 4...i. r4.I
The idea that a farmer can, and ma
with sdvsutage,as often as the years con
ysupd, buy msterisls to be manpfasturi