Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-08-14
Dairy Profits.

DhiTl ETVltss
The average product of butter per COW in
Vermont is set by no one so high as one
hundred and fifty pounds annually. The
price of butter for the last year has averaged
below twenty cents pound for the best
article. The demand is almost nothing ex-
cept for the best grades. recent Boston
paper states, in its review of the market,
that the sales of ordinary butter continue
slow, and at the present time there is little
or no encouragement to send such an article
to market Grocers and others demand the
best that can be obtained, and many grocers
keep on sale only one grade of butter, and
that strictly nice. 1t adds that though that
grade of butter, from its scarcity, now COM
mands from twenty to twenty-five cents, yet
large invoice would no doubt put the price
back to eighteen or nineteen cents again
Now we will take the most encouraging
view possible of the situation, and see what
is the probable future, under the most en-
couraging circumstances, of the dairy inter
est here in Vermont. The average number
of cows to dairy does not exceed ten. 1t
is in reality probably less than seven. But
let us say that the averages are ten cows
to the dairy, one hundred and fifty pounds
to the COW, and the price twenty cents a
pound. This is, we have no doubt, from
one-fourth to one-third too much in each
item, but let it go at that. The farmer with
ten cows will then produce fifteen hundred
pounds of butter in a year, and receive there
for three hundred dollars, or less than dol
lar day for each working day in the year.
1t will take all his grass and all his grain,
except his wheat and a little of his corn, to
keep these cows, his team, and his neces-
sary young stock. He can sell little pork, a
little beef, few veal skins, and may have
time, though but a little, to grow some pota-
toes for sale. This is on the presumption
that he does his own work, as it is plain
that hiring help is totally out of the ques-
ton at present, on ten COW dairy farm.
Now here is business man (for farmer
is business NAM who is presumed to be
near the top of his trade, getting a higher
than average yield, and the best price for
his product. His invested capital for land,
buildings, implements and stock will not be
less than three thousand dollars. He labors
hard, and requires the help of every member
of his family who can work. yet his entire
income from invested capital and labor will
IarJI,, lnt of g., H.
neighbors are drawing in the shape of inter
est, from like sum of money invested in
those farm mortgages which are advertised
as such conservative investment" All
his property is sight, and every dollar of
it is liable, not only to its just share of tax
alton, but to whatever higher rate is incurred
by the hiding Of the taxable wealth of his
monied neighbor. He is expected to con-
tribute to the support of preaching sufficient,
with the contributions of his brethren in the
church, to give the minister at least living.
If he has mortgage on his land he is never
theless taxed for its full value, besides pay.
ing, commonly, usurious interest on the
debt. And yet-and yet-compared with
many farmers, he must consider himself a
prosperous man. Is it wonderful that times
are hard, and are they not hard indeed when
a man with three thousand dollars worth of
productive property is reduced to such close
quarters as this With all his labor, and
money than single dollar per day, to clothe
his family and purchase the necessary sup
plies of food, outside of what he produces
to pay taxes, doctors bills, religious contri
buttons repairs and renewals of buildings
and implements, insurance, his newspaper
subscription, and the other numerous Incl
dentals which we all know of, but which
it would be impossible to enumerate.
What is the future prospect We fee
constrained to believe and say that it is moi
out of higher prices for any sort of com
modities, either of the farm or workshop. II
prosperity and wealth are to be realized by
dairymen and farmers of the years before III
it must be, and will be based, not upor
higher prices, but on greater skill and {
more thorough economy in the management
of the farm and its products. 1t is case o
"root hog, or die" brethren, and it must b.
a most able, intelligent and persevering sor
of roofing The best that can be hoped for
(and then thousands of us must go to tn
wall, and either emigrate to the now great,
diminished free lands of the West, or sinl
to the status of day laborers) is by create
skill and economy to realize at least thi
dollar day increase from the COWS, anc
make the money go as far as we can. Tn
price of real estate and all kinds of propert
must be scaled down. We may have pai
three thousand dollars for our farm an
at two thousand dollars and under. TIL
latter sum represents as much actual wealt
under the circumstances, as the former.
We must raise more grass to the acre, "
must make more butter TO the COW, and "
must sell every pound at the best price.
we don't know how to do this now we mu.
learn how; and we say this with the fear {
those men before our eyes who declare thi
we are luSuilliIB tuc ldIHleIS Ill Saying tni
some of them-yes many of them-can lear
something more about their business tina
they now know. This state has got to
farmed by men who, as class, know mo
than they now do, or we shall fall behind
the race of progress and prosperity. "
can no more-if we ever could-afford to i
all of the liquid manure of our cattle 60
waste 1t must be saved and used JUG
ciously TO produce food for man and bea'
We must keep no more cows that yield lie
than one hundred and fifty pounds of butt
year, and it behooves us to raise Il
average to two hundred pounds with
little delay as possible. To do this we mu
introducenew blood, use more care in selt
ton, and feed better, as we easily can whe
with the saved liquid manure, we double o
crops OF grass and grain. We must st
making second and third rate butter. Tn
business, if ever profitable, is profitable
longer in these days of oleomargarin
"Creamery butter is what the market
mands, and we must make it, or step do
and out
Finally, brethren, we must put brains il
our business. God has got done manuri
our land for us, as he did for our faith,
rrhav In THAR pinnaar novartv naadad III