Litchfield enquirer., 1872-03-21

should be taken to deal with responsible safe men, otherwise losses of cans anl failure of returns are like to follow.
 FEED.
 The best feed for COWS is wheat hrar o corn meal. Buckwheat bran produces al inferior quality of milk. Just now, corr meal is the cheapest Cotton seed mea is also good, but the freight charged o1 it's transportation from the South make. its cost too high forproftable use. Whea bran (not shorts was worth, last fal from $24, to. $28, ton The. manur, from cows fed on bran is worth mucl more than from those fed on meal Tn, manure from ton of bran is worth S14 Experience in the produce of milk show, the necessity of cutting the hay crop ear ly. During the four years past we have improved the quality of our hay greatly by early cutting. With good hay cut uI and fed with plenty of bran and meal [ dairy of COWS will produce almost as mucI milk in the winter as in the summer.
 Mir. Gold referred in concluding to the necessity of a good understanding be. tween milk producers. He attended some, time since convention of producers o1 all the roads leading into New York. They could not agree on any combined plan, however, while the middlemen could easily get together and control the market, to the disadvantage of both con- sumer and producer.
 Mir. M. D. F. Smith, of Goshen, was then called up. He could think of but one matter of caution necessary in the preparation of milk for the market omit ted by MT. Gold. Warm and cold milk should never be mixed. The morning. s milk should be cooled in separate cans. As regards the price of milk for the com ing year, Mir. Searles, an agent whom he liked better than Mr. Shafer, was esti- mating the following prices: March and April, 4 cents per quart: May, 3; June, 9; July, and August, 8; Sept, 3l; Oct, 4; Nov, Dec, and Jan, 5; Feb, 4 cts. The commission charged is 13 cents per can and cents carriage is charged by the N. Y. $ N. H. R. R. Co.,, from 42d St., to Centre St.
 MT. Smith found no difficulty in cooling milk in standing water cooled with ice. Setting cans in box Of the proper size filled with water, brought down to a tenn perature of 40o, he thought just as effect ual as cooling in running spring water. It could also be cooled in large wells into which the cans are let down. The ice necessary for cooling in the hot months would not cost as much as the transporta- tion of the milk half mile to and from a spring. Milk coolers were then spoken of. MT. Smith thought they would cool the milk effectually, but MT. Gold object ed that it was impossible to keep them perfectly sweet and clean. MT. Smith said his hay crop had been diminished half by the drouth of the past two years. but that he found it cheaper to buy meal than hay, Five quarts Western meal per COW lessens the consumption of hay one half. He had some COWS whose milk brings $1OO annually (gross receipts) per COW, but his dairy does not average that. Had no doubt dairies might be brought up to that figure. -......
 MT. Smith was pleased with the busi- ness. Thinks it more profitable than but ter and cheese, and likes it especially be- cause it ightens the work of the farmers wives and daughters. He was eight miles from station, carried his milk two miles himself and then had it transported the re- maining six miles for 20 cents per can. Even with this drawback he should never wish to go back to the making of butter and cheese. He resided within four miles of the Litchfeld Shepaug station, and wished to avail himself of any opportuni- ty offered by that road.
 MT. T. l.. Hart, of Cornwall, who has had large experience in the business, then spoke of the kind of feed best for COWS. He had found quite difference between Eastern and Western corn meal. The for mer fattened COWS fed on it, but failed to produce milk. The latter did produce milk. His usual feed was mixture of wheat bran with Western meal; 8 bushels of the former to one of the latter. To some of his COWS he gave as much as half bushel of this feed day. The weight of the bran was about 20 pounds to the bushel; of. the meal, about 50. He feared that too high fes@ing might pro- duce abortions aud cautioned especially against sndden drop from a high meal feed to grass in the spring. He thought feeds of meal should continue till the grass gets good.
 Mir. Hart detailed his experience of the tricks of New York milkman with whom he has special contract. He sticks to his contract, however, which calls for tive cents more than the market price since January. MT. Hart thought it possible for the producer to deal directly with the consumer to advantage. MT. Gold, how ever, believed that the difficulties thrown in the way by the middlemen would make such contracts unproftable. =
 Deacon s. H. Dudley, of Milton, was called on and stated that in his opinion the the sale of milk was the most profitable business open to the farmers on the line of the Shepaug railroad. @ a sa''...e
 The meeting then adjourned for dinner, after which an hours informal talk was had at the Hall. Mr. Welton, of Wash ington, who has been carrying his milk about six miles to the New Milford sta tion. was anxious to shorten his transpor- tation by use of the Shepaug.
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