Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1884-04-24
Skim Milk Farming

are chiefly engaged in wheat raising,
with a growing tendency in the direc.
tion Of stock and dairy farming.
Careful estimates have placed the &C.
tual cost Of producing "A bushel Of
wheat in this section at not far from
sixty five cents this does not include
depreciation in land nor cost Of trans
portation by rail, or otherwise, to the
markets Of the world These cx.
plnses aggregate at least twenty five
cents more, and when the wheat is
placed in any market where 1t will
bring 81 per bushel, the cost of pro.
duction and transportation have run
up TO at least ninety cents. The crop
Of 's3 marketed in my town aggre
gated $4,000 bushels, worth in Chi.
cago something like half million
dollars, on which the farmers have
realized a profit of not more than
ten per cent, or $4,000, in this fav'
orable wheat year. The freight tariff
alone on this wheat amounts, how.
ever, TO $4,000, and as the cost Of
transportation affects the price paid,
this enormous tax really falls upon
the farmers. Their expenses for
freight alone are therefore more than
double their profits.
Now, assuming that stock and dairy
farming are, Of themselves, quite as
profitable as wheat farming-in other
words, that it costs no more TO pro-
duce a given amount in butter or
beef than the same amount in wheat
Gan assumption most favorable in.
deed TO the wheat INTEREST,", it is easy
to estimate the benefit the farmer
might receive in this one item alone,
by condensing his products.
Half a million dollars worth Of
live stock could be sent 10 the Chi
cago market at an expense Of not to
exceed $4,000, and thus Of this
$4,000 freight expense incident to
wheat raising, there would have been
saved, 70 the farmers profit, $50, 900.
The same product in pork and beef
would have gone to the same market
At an expense OF not 70 exceed s25,.
400, and thus another $4,000 OF
frcigh. might have been savcd-all
clear profit. The same amount in
cheese would have required the ox.
pcndtture of but $4,000 in freight,
instead Of Sll5,Oo0, and thus an even
Sioo, 600 Of expense might have been
saved to the farmcrs-just twice the
amount Of their profits on wheat
and on dividing up among the 500 OF
more farmers each would have bal
ancc OF $500 to show tor every SlOC
he realized on wheat.
In the production Of butter the
dillyl,ncc Is still moIc 10 his adysut
age. To ship 100000 worth Of but
ter would cost not more than from
$1,000 to sS, 900 in place of the sIlj,.
600, and thus about 90 per cent, Of
the cost Of wheat transportation
would be saved, and tho farmers sup.
/ posed profit OF 10 per cent. would be
increased TO considerably over 30 per
cent. Of the gross receipts. Putting
IT In a different form and We End that
the Southwestern Minnesota farmer.
who produces good butter, pays out
for transportation to market hut .
per cent. Of the value Of his product.
The cheese producer pays out from
81 TO 4 per cent. The pork and bee
producer pays from to per cent.
and the live stock shipper from to
per cent. but the wheat farmer
settles his little freight account by
turning over from % to % per cent.
OF all the gross receipts of his crop,
and a large share, If not all, Of the
balance COOS for other expenses.
The wheat farmer Is content to take
his small pittsnce of gain In skim.
milk, while the millers' associations.
the spectators, and the railroads
take all the cream Of his crop
From paper BY H. r. Heard, read
before the ~ ". Dairymen's Associo-
ton.
Chickens, such as Asiatic. ahould