Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1874-03-27
OPPORTUNITIES AND REWARDS
For the application of Brain Work to
Dairy Farming.

That business which demands high degree
OF intellectual ability, sound Judgment, and
intelligent enterprise, usually pays him we'll
who possesses these qualifications aud ON.
ploYs them Id. its development; but that oc.
cupation which calls for little more than
mere brute force in its pursuit usually yields
but moderate return for the services Of
those who engage in it, aud is looked upon
as menial and degrading. He who can sue.
cessfully conduct an extensive railroad, man.
ufacturing, mining, or other like enterprise
will command high salary, aud it will be
paid with profit by his employers, though he
may put little physical force into their bust.
ness. 1t is his mental power and intelligent
application for which they pay.
There are certain callings which do not
admit Of an extensive application Of mental
power. La such cases, the compensation re-
ceived by those who engage in them is COM
paratisey small. An intelligent wood-chop.
per or ditcher will command higher wages
than one who is stupid, because he will ac-
complish more with the same physical force,
and do his work better. But owing to the
nature of the business, physical force must
be his chief reliance for success. and he can.
not command high salary for such service,
because that class OF labor is cheap, and less
remunerative than that of more intellectu.
al nature.
The rewards of business will. as a vener.
al rule. be in proportiop TO the amount of
brain work which is put into it, This is EN-
phaticallv true of the bus,ness of the d,irv.
man. There are few callin0s which Weld =.
better return for mental snnl;cation than
this II NAV he conducted A. loss oven
where an UNNECESSARY amoun, of nLvs;coI
force is nut into il 4. or with less of th;s and
more ,ntelliOenc. !. NAV he made 10 v;sld
better necun;arv retnrns in nronor,;on 10 ,ho
money invested than almost almost .nv 9th
er legitimate business pursued among ma I
am aware that this IA not in accordance with
the common belief The time was when Il
was tbouObt that anv hlockbead who had
not brains enough 10 succeed at ANYTIME
else could succeed as n farmer and dairvman
But let ms not deceive ourseives lonoer n "a.
gard TO this matter.
Success in dairv enternrise in Vermont aa.
nends NOR. unon ,,entol ,,o,o.r and e,,,c,,~S
skin than unoo anv other cons;derot;or
Let me illustrate by citing prac,ioal facts
which have actpallv occurrsd hare in Vor-
mont durins the mast season and Tins presen,
the two extremes Of practice in dairy farming
among ma viz That nract,cs vhers nbvs;c'
aI force Is relied unon far snccess and ;ts on.
posite. where AN intelligent ep,erprise i
made 10 predominate Tbes. exsmnles are
taken from practice in the departnen, NJ
the butter dairy.
Examples Of The former class NAV be Csupd in
almost every dairy community. Men who toll
early and late. who la,or in their fields nm.
I'll dark, and then milk their cows when thew
should be at rest; who seem TO think that
what they thus eet out of themselves their
families and their help. is clear gain. Con.
staptlv oyerworked thew have NO ,ima nor
inclination for thought upon any subject /:
they never inyestigate new systems or modes
of practice. but 90 on in the old ruts: thew
spend little for mproyements. their COWS
are such as chance to fall into their hards.
and are nearly as unimnroved as the wild
cattle of the plains, and are bred with as
little care or system. Their butter is manu-.
factured by a wastefuI. laborious and neon.
sistent process, aud its quality is as pnoer.
tain AZ the weather. Thew know little with
regard to the average product of their cows
per head, and much less with regard 10 the
comparative merits of the individuals of
their herds. But If their average product
of butter per head reaches 100 pounds, and
sells at an average OF 25 cents Der pound, and
thus receive an income of S32 so per head
from their cows, they thou0htlessly accent this
result as An inevitable conseonepce of the nov.
erty of the business though this il barelv
enough to nav for the keepinO of their COWS
poor as it is, while the labor expended upan
them. and the interest of the money which
they cost, are both a total loss. thew never
seem to realize that they themselves are at
all responsible for the result
This class very naturally look upon the
dairy business az hard. slayisb and nro6t.
less. They COMPLAIN of hard time. and had
huck. They have few of the copveni,n,a.
and comforts unon which the sasa and nIs,s-
ure with which their business NAV he con.
Quoted depend This is a verv natural re.
suit of such a course Wbv sSouId h.. no,
comnlain of bard ,;mss Who tbints snoh ~
suits a necessity of his ooonnation and
OrumbI.s about he sl.v;sb tosLs wb;oh /,
imposesP Upreouited toll bonelessIv con.
tipued. il slavery and he Who thns nSrforms
Il Is a drudge Hut If !, Is tbs r.s,pI, Of his
own stolid spatbv he can iustIv hIame no
one but himself and ra;i;ng about hard
times. bad Iuok and his moor s.lIiOa viii not
helm his ease. Notbipo bnt ssIfrsform
more intense thought and more ;ntsIhgsnt
enternrise will oT onobt 70 sovo him trom
financial ruin Hard work witbont mental
application. will not do II
let us now turn 10 the ornosi,s o,trews
of dairv mansaomsnt 10 ,bo da;rvman