Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1873-01-21

IN connected with the culture OIL small
fruits and market stuff. embarrassing has
Tim, lsr been profitable, and until man
uro can be supplied in some waynot yet
practicable, must continue TO be prae!ieed.
There Is no doubt, however. that in rais-
isg milk We shall soon 10 in competition
with farmers whose hay 10 worth but
halt as much A. ours. inasmueh 81 there
is no difficulty in carrying milk 100 or
even 200 miles on railroad trains proper
IN arranged aud run in the night
Raising cattle aud horsos and WOOL
and tending dry stock is so much easier
than the care OF milch COWS, especially
in winter. that farmers in ths interior are
slow to 60 into the business, aud The
profit of OF bulter-making and cheese
making in factories is 50 close upon that
of marketing milk that we shall Pro6abIy
continue the business, for many years
longer.
The culture OF small fruits, and OF Us
paragus and market vegetables u.s. no
doubt, stpresent our beat business. COM
bined with milk raising. These crops
1eturn very little to the farm. and yet re-
quire heavy manurin., and manure we
say, we cannot buy aud must make 1t by
the cows. One tact in this connection
must not be overlooked, namely, that
we cxpend very large part OF our labor
and m4nue too, in supporting the cows
On most farms Nc consume AL our hay,
with green and and dry corn fodder, oats
and millst, and large amount OF grain
to ieed the cows. To raise all this fod-
der. costs valuable labor and expensive
implements, much ploughing. harrow
ing seeding, and rolling much moving
raking and haulin. Of fodder and roots;
some pay Tor grain n third VI hall oil
what the milk brings in. But 1t Is SAID
We get back ior our milk lair market
price Tor The products consumed by ths
COWS. That statement may bs literally
true, aud Yet embarrassing may not DO
prodla5le.-lhat is 10 say not The most
profitable thing to practice. For III
stance, all acre oil fodder corn and AL
acre of mansel wurIol may cost YOU III
tie labor and would sell tor very little
money, and having raised them. !hOy
are worth nothing but 10 feed to The
COWS But had YOU no cows to leed'
your two acres. with the same manure
and no more labor. might produce an
acre OF sweet corn aud IN aero OF ruls
basas for market, aud bring far mors
money than the value OF the crops fed to
the COWS.
With all these considerations before
Us. we must Judge how Tar We may re-
duce our milk product, without lessening
the amount Of manure applied TO crops
not used for feeding the cows. To mako
great sacrifices TO increase our manure
heaps merely 10 use in raising more tod.
der TO further increase them. is working
in 4 circle not particularly agreeable or
profitable. II farmer who kssps cows
enough to consume his fodder will esti'
mate carefully how much Of all his labor
aud land is devoted TO feeding them. no
will be surprised al the result lie labor'
and spends manure. looking mainly to
crops Of grasS for his profit in his rots-
ton, and then converts bis hay into ma.
nure aud starts anew \ half dozen
acres in small fruits. grapes. asparagus
and market stuir. or quarter OF aa aero
under gh.s. Tor ilowsr. or plants, often
brings more profit than a large farm UNI
der ordinary treatment. Which, or how
m any ol US can proiIably change our
system, in whole or in part, is Tor each
man 10 consider.