The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1890-09-12
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER IL. 1890.


Shall Farmers Raise theirown Cows
IRreply ca recommendation In the Is
snssof August ~, mdernthe heading,
s'Ralsing stack uDprofiitable, written by
adealer eattle,. one who IL shringine
cattle fromthe West to be sold Co farm.
ers here in the East, 1t Is not reasonable
to suppose that n man In this business
would advocate raising ones own cows
here in the East. 1 was much pleased il
reading his answer to former letters, as
the tone would impress any one that
there was an axe to grind.
Now to begin with, have spent much
of my time in the country and have had
experience among many farmers. The
fact of n farmer having nothing to do in
the Winter becoming relic, should
say that, instead of II relic, it was the
prevailing fashion. In regard to figuring
time, as to cost, every man Is supposed
to make the most out of what he has or
can get. No farmer can rob his farm of
manure. Ii he does, he cannot make a
living and soon his farm becomes unpro-
ductive and he Is forced to work for his
neighbor to earn living for his family.
| am not speaking of farmers who have
well-stocked, improved farms. with a
large or sufficient bank account. 1t is of
those who are struggling on the OLD
place and must get their living from it.
They cannot live upon their farms with
hax .
How could they get their living?
New, in regard to raising calves. If a
farmer has cows Of his own raising, nine
times out of ten he is sure to have good
COW. 1t is from his best cows that he
will raise his calves, certainly not from
his poor ones. Again, IL he decides to
raise certain calf, it is not necessary to
keep il fat for the butcher, giving it all
the milk the COW gives. lie can use 9TH
CT means always ut hand aud sell his
milk, AS the dealer recommends, getting
&c or &c per quart and have his calf grow
ing mt the same time. | have raised
calves taken from the COW after the milk
was fit to use or sell. These are now be-
ing MIXED and, from the time they left
the COW uutil turned off to care for them
selves, they did not get more than three
quarts Of milk during the whole time.
Any one of these, would not exhange
for car load of Western cows, although
good stock Is daily shipped East.
In regard to farmer counting the
cost. Is there farm or business, no
matter how large or how small, no mat
ter how many practical or competent
men may manage it, which does not
have leakage or waste? There might
be in foreign lands, but not in this coun-
try, that is certain. Now all | ask Is for
the farmer to utilize the waste in raising
his cows and colts and, in n short time,
you could not get him to give up the
business. Suppose farmer needs an
other COW. In the first place, many have
not the ready money to spare. In the
next place, where will he find one?
Without doubt, he will travel miles and
miles day after day before he finds one
that suits him. Now, my dear cattle
dealer, If a farmer has so much to do in
Winter and we all know he has enough
to do In Summer, how can he spare this
time to look for a COW, visiting sales of
cattle from the West, auctions and pri-
vate sales, losing time and, worse still,
paying out cash he may need for some
thing else? No. Better for him II he
only raised one calf year, at little or no
bat
so that he could sell and not buy and put
money into his pocket instead of the
dealers. Surely, were l dealer, l
would not advocate raising stock. II
should think it the most Improbable bus
mess on the farm; but am not, conse-
quently prefer to raise my own.
AS for farmers finding something bet
ter to do than raising calves. They can
not, In many cases, as their land Is stu
ated too far, compete with the trade in
vegetables. Their land, in its present
condition, will not produce merchantable
hay, but would raise calves and, having
good cows, making large quantity OF
after time, by its aid, they |
could get the farm into a productive |
state, with more or less stock to sell at
any time.
Now in regard to the injurious trial of
quarantine restrictions to all concerned.
We have yet to hear of IL and the day is
rot far distant when 1t must come here
n the Eastern States. Many times has
{ been necessary to place quarantine re-
trictions on stock in the Western States.
{ It were.not for that, our farmers might
ave lost their own stock from contagious
diseases shipped to our midst.
Now, my dear readers, you who are
aising your own cows and colts, don't
i've it up. To use the expression of 90
ut of every 400 farmers, "You cannot
ct good COW unless you raise it your
s. M.