Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-11-29
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
COST AND PROFIT OF BEEF AND
BUTTER.
Editors Country Gentleman

Editors Country Gentleman
For years past the breeders Of
the larger breeds of cattle have
amused themselves by ridicnling
the Jerseys on account Of theiT small
size. They have told the old story
about the cats carrying OF the
calves, have pointed at their "cat
hams.r and have got a large
amount of fun at little cost out OF
their comparisons. Now this has
not hurt the Jerseys a particle.
They have gone right on attending
strictly to business, giving rich
milk for about eleven months 10
the year, furnishing the best quail
ty of milk. cream and butter IN
generous quantities, aud giving a
good profit to their owners in these
days when profits are prover0laliy
scarce. Nor has all that has been
said either yexed or alarmed asln.
gle dairyman who has a herd oil
Jerseys. I thing, however, 1t has
deferred many who were unac'
suainted with the merits OF the
breed from giving them trial, for
there are many farmers who take
their opinions secondhand, and
who are convinced that It the
Sbort.HOrn or Holstein breeders
say that "The introduction OF the
Jerseys was a curse to the country"
it must be 50.
Without stopping to sdduce
proof, | will state what i know to
be fact, that no dairy herds IN
this country of any breed whatever
are giving greater profit than those
of pure or high grade Jersey blood.
speak from many years exper'
fence when l state that it costs
considerably less to raise q Jersey
to the milking period than one OF
the larger breeds, and 1t IS reason
able to suppose that the food Of
support Is in proportion to the size
of the animal, and that it will cost
but two.thirds as much to support
a COW weighing SEQ pounds as 1t
will one weighing 200.
The sum OF the offence which
the Jersey COW gives to her OpPO-
nentS is, that she is not a beet anl'
mal-that after she has served her
day in the dairy she cannot be fat
tened up to twelve or fourteen
hundred pounds, and sold at good
round price. There was a time
when the final disposition OF the
dairy COW was an important factor
in the profit Of dairying, but that
day has long since passed. 1 re-
member of selling a fat COW when
war prices prevailed, at eight dol
lars per hundred, live weight, and
she came to S114, but the memory
OF that was no comfort to me when
last spring I sold a good fat COW
for 1926 per hundred, and when |
know that in my market during
the past ear, there has not been a
time that fat COW could be sold
for SO a hundred. The farmer with
beef to sell today must come in
competition with the whole country,
with cattle ted on the range at no
cost but herding, and with the
dressed beef monopoly that ia rich
enoug to sell beef at half its cost
in any market until they have
driven out all competition.
Under these conditions, the far.
mer has no voice whatever in fixing
the price at which he shall sell his
beef, unless it is by producing su-
periOr cattle (hne, smooth shipping
steer), when he may be able to get
a cent a pound above that paid for
common cattle; and the very high.
est quotations for the choicest
shippers IN the cincinnati papers
today (Oct. 24) is 1920 per hun.
dred, and no farmer could get
within half dollar a hundred of
this price unless he had a carload
lot that would all grade as "tOps.'
My nearest neighbOr sold a gram
fe6 three ear-old steer last April,
that weighed 1000 pounds, for 50
a hundred. Now what encourage
is there for the farmer, on land
worth $50 or more an acre, to en-.
gage in beef-prOductioni Ny sd-
vice is to veal all but the very best
calves. 1 can make veal on skim
milk that will bring from IS to 81
at six weeks old, and the same ami
NAL if kept till two years old would
not bring 800 more. 1 sold last
week a veal 40 days old, the first
calf of a Jersey heifer, that had
not tasted new milk since 1t was a
week old 1t weighed 140 pounds,
and brought the top price in the
market.