The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-05-15
Those jefferson County Cows.


Mr.. Editor:-Your correspondent,
n. G. Davis, in his recent article, APP
pears disposed, am sorry to see, to
ridicule the attention which / have
given to the "Cow Census" which Mr..
Jennings made, and declares that have
FUSED this census for all there was of
it," etc. Now, on the contrary, have
hardly given this valuable work which
Mr.. Jennings has done half the con-
sideration to which it is entitled and
which hope in future to bestow upon
it. Mr. Davis says of this census that
he has no reason to question its ac-
curacy," and it is because that l also
believe it as nearly accurate as it could
well be made, and because, so far as /
know, it was an absolutely unique and
therefore invaluable mass of data, that
have so carefully studied it-as, indeed,
wish others had the means of doing.
If Mr.. Davis could furnish your read
ers with a similar census for the town
he represents, | can assure him that it
will be a most valuable contribution
and will receive, as it will deserve,
months of study to learn the many les
sons which its figures will teach.
Before going further, let me say that
Mr.. Davis quotes us as giving the total
number of our mich cows as 100000,
while that is the number of those /
would like TO see slaughtered, it being
about half the whole number in the
state of New York. l hope l need
hardly assure your readers that it is
anything but labor of love for me to
defend the conclusions which the CEN
sus of Mr.. Jennings appears to me
clearly to establish, and if | am found
in error, as is not wholly impossible,
shall make no attempt to avoid full
confession. In fact, Mr.. Davis points
out that my estimate for hay consumed
should not have been taken at its aver
age value for the past quarter of a
century, which seemed to me to be
fairer estimate than its price for any par
ticular year. Perhaps l was wrong.
But since writing the papers which are
criticised / find that my conclusions are
endorsed by several high authorities in
dairy matters-as, for example, Mr..
James Chessman, secretary of the New
England Creameries Association, who
recently told the Massachusetts Dairy
men at Ploughman hall, Boston, that
she believed, with DR.. Collier, that if
sixty per cent of the cows were de-
stroyed, saving the best only, the
country would be richer also Dr.
Goessmann, director of the Experiment
Station at Amherst, Mass, who, as the
result of his carefully-conducted ex-
periments in the production of milk
from twelve animals, declares that " a
COW whose total milk record averages
not more than eight quarts per day,
| Judging from our own condition, prom
ises to prove better investment when
prepared for the meat market than
when constituting liberal proportion
of the stock kept for supplying the
general milk market at stated prices"
Now the doctor estimated his milk as
selling at an average of three cents per
quart, and that is siXty-three per cent
higher than is eighty-five cents per one
hundred pounds, which is about the
average price received by the dairymen
of New York.
Eight quarts per day is 5000 pounds
in 300 days, and but single one of the
l, 1888 factories reported by Dairy Com
missioner Brown of New York sur
passed such record, while 101 facto-
! llCS NdillC hCAt, VIII a VI I w
pounds of milk per COW, or ten per cent
below the point of profit fixed by Dr.
Goessmann. Fifty-two hundred pounds
of milk at eighty-five cents hundred
is S44 20, and yet there were but seven
herds, containing eighty-one cows,
among the $40 herds, containing
1854 cows, reported by Mr.. Jen-
nings, the average earnings of which
in milk, butter or cheese surpassed
this limit Barely eighty-one cows,
or less than one and a half per
cent, averaged for milk, butter and
cheese S47.S3 earnings. According to
DIR. Goessmann, ninety-eight and half
per cent of these cows of Jefferson
county promised better returns from
the butchers block than in the dairy.
The average yield of milk from 407 $40
cows, according to Dairy Commissioner
Brown, was 3,034 pounds, equal to an
average annual earning per cow of
$3.50. The average amount of milk
required for a pound of butter was
about twenty-five and half pounds, so
that the average yield of butter per
cow was about 100 pounds.
The dairy commissioner of Connecti-
cut reports that the average sales of but
ter from ,34S creamery patrons in his
state, having II ,l39 cows, was for the
season 22,6 cents per pound. AT this
price the New York cows averaged not
over Ia pounds of butter per COW
while, if we take the average at ~
= pounds of butter, its average selling
} price during the season in New Yorl
was 2l.6 cents per pound. But while
doubtless the average yield of butter il
greater in Vermont, can Mr.. Davis
show that it was over 1870 pounds pei
y COW? And yet there are many diaries
in Vermont and in New York where
, the average yield of butter per COW il
over 300 pounds. The average yield o
e these II ,139 Connecticut cows was IL;
pounds, while the highest average O
nnu nnn crnamaru WING 900 nnnnlo