Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-06-27
CROP BULLETIN NO. 2.
BULLETIN FOR JUNE OF THE STATE
BOARD OF AGRIcULrURE.

BOARD OF AGRICULTURE.
AUGUSTA, June ID, 1898.
The Board Of Agriculture is pleased
To present to the farmers OF the State In
this Bulletin for June, an array OF hg'
ures, suggestions and statements, from
many of our most successful men In the
dairy business, as well as from some OF
our most observing farmers, on the
question Of roads for our several towns.
The figures which have been received
appear to be, largely, from actual know
ledge Of the cost of keeping cows, and
the receipts for their products. Oh
course, some Of them are based on esti-
mates, but the great uniformity all
through the statements would lead one
to suppose that even these were fairly
accurate. That dairying Is great aud
growing industry In Maine to-day, needs
hut casual glance to convince any one.
Returns have been received from every
county, and from eighty towns, In all Sec
tions of the State. and IL would seem
they must fairly represent the general
conditions covered by the questions.
In order to get at the desired facts
relative to the matters In hand the fol-
lowing list Of questions WAS sent out:
I. How many pounds OF butter nave
your cows averaged the last Year,
?. OF what breed are your cows, and
did you buy them or raise them yourself'
3. Please give method Of summer
feeding; whether pasture feed wholly or
In part, and II only In part what Folders
are used to supplement the pasture, II
grain Il fed, what aud how much!
1. Please give winter feed, coarse
folders and grain, daily amount OF each
of the kinds and estimated cost Of keep
Of COW per year.
3. How are your cows tied In winter!
q. How are they watered, and how
many times each day.
Z. Do YOU manufacture your own
butter, or IL cream or milk soldr
\. II butter Is manufactured, state
where sold, how put up and average
price received per pound. :.
D. Please give your estimate In detail
Of the cash value Of what your cows
earn apieces
10. Please state what you use for bed
ding In winters
N. What improvements were institute
ed for the maintenance and repair of the
roads In your vicinity last season.
II. What will be the method employ
ed this season.
From the tifty-six replies t. the first
question. We get an ayersge of 253 as the
number Of pounds Of butter produced In
a year by each COW. In one or two
cases reported, cheese was manufactured
for short time during the summer, and
except In very few instances, nothing
has been allowed for the milk, cream
aud butter used In the family. OF course,
II this could be got at accurately IL
would add quite an amount to the num-
ber Of pounds Of butter produced.
From the replies to the second ques-
ton We get the information that twenty
two Of our correspondents have thor
oughbred Jerseys; either Cattle Club or
Maine State; thirty-eight have grade
Jerseys, four grade IIolsteins, one grade
Ayrshires and ten natives, that forty
four raised their COWS, and that fourteen
bought them.
From the replies To the third question
We learn that twenty depend upon past
ure wholly In summer; that thirty
three feed grain to supplement u. except
In the flush of feed, that thirteen iced
grain aud green crops as supplementary
TO the pastures, and that two soil their
cows, keeping them In the barn the
entire year.
regret we did not receive any replies
which would indicate the relative cost
of the different systems. While there Is
no feed so cheap for the production OF
butter as pasture grasses, a careful Sudy
of the cost Of keeping COW year ss
given by our correspondents, would
seem to indicate that, under existing
circumstances In Maine, those dairymen
Who use the partial soiling system, keep
their cows cheaper than those Who de-
pend upon pasture wholly, and also,
that their cows, as rule, earn them
more; thus making a double gain Tor
them.
From replies to the fourth question
We learn that ten are feeding ensilage,
straw, etc. for coarse fodder, that one
depends upon hay alone, without grain
and that sixty-six feed hay, straw, corn
fodder and grain. In nearly every case
this consists Of shorts, corn meal, gluten
and cotton seed meal, mixed In about
equal proportions and fed In quantities
varying from three to six quarts per day.
several feed home grown mixed grains,
and one carefully noted the fact that he
feeds no purchased grain. The average
cost of keep Of a COW per year Is given
as St3.36.
FROM replies to question five, we learn
that seventy-four tie In winter Win
chains or straps around the necks, while
six use stanchions, and keep the cows
confined with their neck between two
upright poles, 50 near together that the
head cannot be withdrawn, the adva,-
tage claimed for this system, being the
increased cleanliness of the COW. One
correspondent writing that, from using
both chains and stanchions at the same
time, has concluded the stanchlons are
far preferable. But We believe their use
should be discountenanced, as relic oil
the past, and the cows should be kept
clean by liberal use Of bedding rather
than by confinlng them too close for COM
fort.
Question six gives US the Information
that twenty Of our correspondents water
their cows In troughs In the barn, forty
seven In troughs In the yard and three
at springs or brooks. That forty-three
water twice, and twenty-seven once q
day, that four have running water be
fore them at all times, and that four
warm the water.
Replies to question eight show that
forty-elght cell butter, twenty-four
cream and nineteen milk. The average
price received per pound for the butter,
which Il, generally, put up In prints,
and sold t0 private customers, In cities
and villages, Is twenty-four cents. And
the average price received for cream
enough to make pound OF butter, 10
fraction over twenty cents.
From an average Of the replies TO tn
ninth question We get e65.l ~ the casf
value OF What the cows earn Apiece. IN
replies to this question, being based or
the came assumption ne those TO ques
tIon one, We should feel that thls 70 !
low figure for ths earniags. Aud ~ y
"A an. ~ IN excess Of the average cost
which should represent the market value
Of the fodder consumed, it seems to b {
very encouraging condition.
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