Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-06-25
and grades of the leading

small part OF which Is raised on the
farm. To increase the profit OF tht
dairy business we must grow more corn
keep better cows, and give them better
care. cannot say what II costs to pro
ducc ton OF hsy, for on some farms Il
will cost many times more TO pro
duce 1t than on others. The cost OF har'
vestiug also varies on different farms
The kinds of hay mostly grown here are
Timothy, red-top and clover. prefer
early cut hay for cows giving milk, and
hay from grass well matured for other
stock. Early cut for cows because II
will produce more milk, later cut FOL
other stock because 1t has more sub
stance in IL. The most valuable imple'
ments that know Of, to save labor In
cutting and storing hay, are good
two-horse mower, a good horse rake, q
horse hay fork, and good one-horse
hay rake. A. II. MASON.
FRYEyURG.
As TO the question. what have our cows
netted the past years il Is hard one for
me 10 answer. | can tell the amount OF
butter made and the value received Tor
each pound, as to the value OF milk used
iu the family, the value Of skim-milk and
buttermilk, value OF manure for future
crops. On the other side the value In
vested In cows, dairy implements, cost
of feed and labor, when too, we are con-
stantly changing cows, is too much for
me 10 figure. (As the secretary Is =
practical dairy farmer will he be so kind
as TO give us little OF his experience.)
The past six months we have made on
an average fifteen pounds Of butter per
day, nearly all OF which has been sold In
Boston and other towns in Massachusetts
for very satisfactory prices. We much
prefer butter making to cream selling.
For cream raising We use DeLaval No.
3. which we are satisfied Is one OF the
best investments we ever made. AS to
what can be done 10 increase the profits
OF dairying, we must improve the quail
ity OF our cows, the quality OF butter.
sell more directly to consumers, lessen
the expense Of making butter and feed
| for the cows. The farmer has ever 10
be on the alert. At the present day II
requires 4 far better man To make sue
cess in farming than TO write sermons or
cause an NJ. ID. 10 be attached To his
uame. "A TO the hsyiug business, every
man has. or should, way Of his own.
In having time we are all so busy we
have but little time TO see how others
are doing their work. We prefer to cut
our hay at the proper time; that is what
every one will say. IL l have cut aud
cured hay thirty or forty years and can
not tell when that time Ia, had better
90 for some other business. All have
moving machines and horse rakes and
all should have hay tedders and horse
forks. We have hay carrier with
grapple forks; on the upper floor we
use a slide, or at least we call IL slide,
made like one-roofed shed, ten feet
square, a light frame covered with light
one-hslf inch boards, planed. This can
be quickly moved from one joint TO an
other. The hay when ii leaves the fork
falls on the slide and lands itself in the
BAY, "A great saving OF labor for The ex-
pense. 81 d. fihh'
NOTE. We recognize the difficulty OF
computing the cost OF producing butter,
as suggested by the correspondent, and
have found 1t very difficult 10 reach any
correct figures in connection with II.
More particularly since we have been
unable 10 attend TO the work personally.
1891 was the last year In which We tried
10 keep an itemized account of debt aud
credit with our cows, and those figures
are not now at hand. As we remember
them the average was not far from $40,
"a the yearly net production. This was
reached by selling cream 10 proprietary
creamery and feeding the skim-milk TO
calves and pigs, which when fed to the
latter netted US fraction over two
cents per gallon. This was reached by
charging the farm with the pigs at the
usual selling price at four weeks OF age,
and the grain purchased TO fit them for
the market and giving it credit for
money received for the pork as sold TO
the Deering Brothers in Biddeford.
We have cheapened the cost OF pro-
ducing milk by feeding ensilage, and We
hope 10 still further lessen our expenses
by growing more Of our grain, so much
so that we feel there is more OF margin
for profit in our dairy now than when
we kept the account.-Secretary.J
STOW.
Net pToHt iIotn SoNs Ef'. S"""'"
sell cream instead OF milk. Skim-milk
i fed To swine and calves. Shorts and
meal fed with the skim-milk. Estimated
value Of skim-milk four cents gallon.
Prefer 10 have most OF my cows fresh in
spring. | usually have one or two
calves late In fall. We make butter set
ting mix in pans. We keep grade Jer-
seys. Feed bran and cotton-seed meal
raise nearly all the yellow corn needed
on the farm. You ask in my judgment
what can be done TO increase profits OF
the business: think we should change
our breed of cows for some that are good
for stock. Nearly all the COWS in this
section are grade Jersey, most Of the
calves are sold for veal, consequently
very little stock is kept. No oxen or
steers. Cows and horses predominate
| will mention one instance. | have a
fine pasture capable of carrying forty
head of young cattle. have only been
able to secure eight head. l believe there
is something wrong as the recent high
prices paid for beef would seem TO justi-
~. Cost of ton Of hay IS. Cost Of
harvesting 50. Hay Is Timothy, clover
and red-top. Early cut hay for cows
and growing stock, later for working
animals. Moving machine, horse rake
and hay fork. | should say good nice
steers will return the largest profit.
|. A. WALKER.