Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-01-23
Some E,ery.D.y Farm Thoughts.

by THE BOSTON JOURNALS "YoUNd FARMER
81 will sell either ono Of those cows for
twenty-five dollars" says an old farmer to
his neighbor, as we sit by the stove in gro
Gerry, where had occasion to call few days
ago.
"And what do you ask for the other one y
asks the other party.
II don't care TO sell her at all " replies the
farmer "but IL you want her should have
to ask you about thirty-five for her" And
then follows a description Of the best COW
and her qualities, which would make her ac-
tualy worth more than dozen Of the others.
As saw neither of the animals could not
Judge of the correctness of the description,
but il they were correctly described the
cheaper ones were dear at twenty-five dollars,
especially if wanted for any purpose but to
convert into beef, as they would scarcely give
milk enough to pay their keeping, even at
the low price of hay and grass in Northern
New Hampshire.
The best COW, on the contrary, would pay
her keeping and make butter enough besides
to pay good interest on an investment of five
hundred dollars, il the owners description
was TO be believed.
They went away to finish their trade, while
l went about my work, wondering why far
mers did not look at such things in bust
ness light, as do men in other business You
never see banker parting with stock which
pays him q hundred per cent annually on
his investment without obtaining good price
for it, while that which pays no profit will
soon be cheap in the market. Yet farmer
can only see ten or fifteen dollars difference
between two animals one of which will bare
ly pay for feeding, and one which will pay
ten or fifteen dollars q month over the cost
of keeping.
As result, the Doctor and the Squire are
apt to own the extra good cows, or some me-
chanic who keeps but one or two, and is will
ling to pay good price for such as suits him.
and the farmer keeps an improbable animal,
and then declares that "he can't make il pay
to keep COWS, anyway, with everything SELL
ing so low"
OF course there are exceptions. Some far
mers are fond Of having good cows and are
not easily persuaded to part with the best
specimens of their herd, but usually they ask
too much for poor beast which pays but
little more than cost of keeping and too little
for those which really pay profit.
Now brother farmers just stop and figure
it up, some of these long evenings or get
your children to figure it up for you. 1t will
be good practice for them and teach them "A
good lesson IN the profit and loss of farming.
How much Lilk does your poorest COW aver
age to give in n Year, Take an average for
each month that she will be in milk, and you
will get very near the years product, and see
what it will be worth at two, three or four
cents per quart. From this take the cost of
keeping and a fair price for the labor of tax
ing care of her, and see how much she pays
as actual profit Then follow the same plan
with one or two Of your best animals and
compare the two accounts, remembering all
the time that the difference in the two bal
ances of profits represents merely the inter
est upon the difference in value of the two
animals selected. OF course, some allowance
must be made for the fact that your invest
ment will be only for short term of years
before the animal will be only fit to turn into
beef, and that it will be subject to all the
risks of accidents and disease but such a
comparison will enable you to estimate the
relative value of good animal and poor
one and you may learn that you have some
which are really mot worth their keeping, 50
and thus you will be able to stop one of those
leaks, heretofore unaccountable to you,
which make The business of farming of SO lit
tie profit. Try it,