Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1891-10-01
NJ. glIN,,13fo5rs,e;Stock
ass Afo | 9Ell2 T. 4
COST OF KEEPING STOCK VARIES.
Farmers may Improve Their Income by
Improving their Stock.
From Farmer and Homes

From Farmer and Homes
If the corn crop which enters largely
into the food account in keeping cows
is partial failure owing to drouth or
other natural causes, how much of the
fertilizing material used is chargeable to
the present crop? Again, the hay crop
may vary 80 per cent in single year
and the cost of keeping stock be largely
increased for given time. But the next
year under favorable conditions the farm
err secures an abundant crop and the
actual cost of keeping his stock is mate
rally reduced. Again, farmers often go
to great expense in fertilizing piece of
land for crop which proves failure.
But in such cases the apparent loss is not
a total loss, to be charged to the profit
and-loss account, because the ground is
in fine condition for another crop with
but little if any additional expense.
Farmers are often accused (and justly
too) of shiftlessness in keeping farm ac-
counts, but it is impossible for them to
keep an accurate account OF each years
work as does the merchant or manufac-
turer. Thus much is given to show that
farm accounts are necessarily OF COM
pick nature and that it is more difficult
for the farmer to give the exact cost of
pound of butter, beef or pork than it
is for the manufacturer to give the exact
cost of a yard of cloth. Agricultural
conditions and surroundings are so en-
tirely dissfaoilar in different sections that
the cost of NOducing pound OF butter
or keeping COW a year varies to large
extent 1t does not cost as much to keep
COW on hill farm in Vermont, where
land is worth only from six to ten dol
lars per acre, as it does in some of the
manufacturing towns of Massachusetts,
where land is worth from $50 to $500
ger acre: and it is safe to say that farm
srs are very scarce who own this high
priced land and do not yet over 100
pounds of butter or its equivalent from
D. cow in one year, the farmer so situated
who failed to get this amount, or even
twice as much, would soon become bank
rupt. But on the other hand it may be
shown that it is possible TO make living
with 100-pound. per-year COWS On very
low priced land. 1t is entirely safe to
say that it does not cost the lO0-pOund
per-year farmer $40 to keep his COW.
Such farmers in IS cases out of 20 do
not feed any grain and their hay would
bring them but six or eight dollars per
ton at the barn. Each cow will eat two
and one-half tons, which at eight dollars
per ton would amount to 500, and the
pasturage would be three dollars and
ffty cents more, making total of $23.56
Cor the cost of the COWS food. The but
Ser is worth S25, and the calf at four
Gonths is worth at least five dollars and
the buttermilk the remainder of the year
is worth two dollars for producing pork );
making S32 as the proceeds of the COW
and leaving a profit of eight dollars and
Sfty cents. But | apprehend that the
average price of butter, which L have
given, 25 cents per pound, is too high.
.Nhen suppose we call it 20 cents and it
sssil leaves the small margin of $3.50.
Yhis profit is small, to be sure, but it is
OLE the right side of the ledger, and the
transaction enables the farmer to turn
his hay into money, and at the same time
to keep up the fertility of the farm. But
this is by no means an argument in fav o1
of keeping cows that will produce but
100 pounds of butter per year. 1t only
explains one phase of farming and shows
the business man that while figures do
not lie' they are sometimes very mislead-
ing when applied to farm accounts.
But if it is true that farmer can live
with 100 pounds of butter per year from
COW, or four quarts of milk per day
from a COW. what might he not do if his
product was multiplied by three as it
could be by judicious breeding and by
the addition of grain ration at cost
of perhaps $40 per COW. The manufac-
turer would not be slow to I" catch on ii
similar proposition confronted him in
his business, and the object of progress
i've men in bringing out these sharp con-
srasts is to arouse the slow thinking and
rat-bound farmer, and awaken him to
he fact that he might if he would more
Than double the product of his COWS and
not be complaining of hard times, which
iss part are caused by his own persistent
Jolly in desiring to do as he has always
done.