Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-04-22
ye,- DeDarture IN Farming.

/ III
oil will be couiinedto the dairy; it will
extend to other branches AS well. The
fact is becoming more and more evident
/ To our farmers. that the methods which
they have heretofore pursued rs to the
various branches of agriculture. have
been in many respects disadvantage Gus
and Improbable, involving gieat
amount Of labor for which shey have re
ceived but meagcr returns. Men having
but small farms under tho method hereto
fore practiced have been hardly able to
make the two ends meet, while those hav.
ING large farms have got but little profit
nom them owing to the large amount OF
| labor which has been required tn carry
them on. and which to a large extent has
been misapplicd The system praeticod
has well been termed miscellaneous farm
/ inc. for il has been that TO the greatest
extreme. The plan has been to raise q
little OF every thing; q little corn, a
patch of potatoes, wheat, oats. barley u
little hay, little fruit, keep yoke OF
oxen. one or two cows, half dozen hens
and 80 on; so many kinds that no proht
/ has been realized from any. and after
hard wears work. there has hardly been
enough of all to keep the family through
The winter. This old stereotype method
which farmers have inherited from past
generations il now undergoing change.
The arithmetic Is being studied; market
reports are being scanned; the difference
in prices between first quality products
and those OF inferior quality are noted;
and the inquiry among intelligent farm
ers is beginning to be, what kind OF
products can be produced Oh given
farm with the least labor. and yield az
the same time the best profit. II has
actually been demonstrated in lhi. coun-
try that farmer giving attention to
nothing but an orchard has no, only con.
trived to support his family but to lay up
money 4, the end Of tho year. Such 4
statement a few years ago would have
been deemed incredible.
But saying nothing OF other branches
let us consider tho method Of associated
daiIyiug. That this can be made not
only successful but highly profitable is no
longer q question. 1t has been made 50
in Vermont the soil and climate of which
is no better for farming than ours, and
also in Northern New York, many coun-
ties Of which are similar in soil and
productions TO our county, lrmay there
fore be assumed that ii the enterprise is
not successful here. the lSult will be
wholly in the management. Let US con-
slider the advantages which this associat-
ed method has over the old method. To
make 6rst quality butter or cheese IL al
most an impossibility with most oil our
farmers wives with small dairies The
art, if we may so speak. is almost an OK
act science. Ii there is not thorough
compliance with all the conditions. there
is failure in greater or less degree.
Ii may DC safely said that more than one
half OF all the butter which il made in
this county could be sold in the Boston
market only rs lower than medium
quality. and much OF it would be turned
over to the bakers. As Tor cheese. there
is not one farmers wife in one hundred
who could make one OF the first quality,
even if she had The materials IL may
therefore be assumed that the making oi
first quality either of butter or cheese is I
impraclicable by our dairy women. It's
true that iair quality OF butter can be
ua,lc by large number OF them. and
i, can be sold in our local market for u
lair price But the real profits in that.
as in other products. is in first rate
article. The extra five or ten cents on
the pound is what pays. Thcn further |
consider the amount Of labor required
and the waste attending. Three cents
4 quart tor milk ri cheese factory may |
seem small price. but every pint counts
There is no waste, and no labor Of any |
account aside from milking. Then be-
yond this price which is the basis. there
Is the dividend TO those who share ia the |
enterprise depending on the aggregate
profits made On the other hand is the
cost Of a good milk cellar, The necessary |
apparatus Tor keeping or churning milk,
The labor and care required, and the |
waste; these all being taken into consid' |
Grafton, it is easy to figure out which |
method il most profitable. But this Is
really unnecessary. The tact has already |
been demonstrated that associated dairy !
ing yields 10y far the largest profits. The
factories now being started here are for
cheese but they will dOutless make but. |
ter also after they fairly get under way.
\ skimmiug taken from the nights mix
leaves that with the new mornings
milk sufficient rich tor the first quality /
cheese
But our farmers who arc starting this
enterprise must not look Tor large profits
~ first. Like all other new business Il
must have time to get fairly started.
What it lacks at first will DO made up as
it goes along. Crreful. prudent manage
ment like all other business il must have.
And it is to be borne in mind that the
introduction of this enterprise Is not TO