The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-06-23
A Conversation.

poverty of price and poverty of cows.
1t did us little good, the other day, to |
run across one of this sort of farmers,
and the following conversation was
had:
Reporter-Well, Mr.. A. how are the
cows doing?
Mr.. A-Bad enough. The dairy
business is completely ruined.
Reporter-What do you think is the
cause of this serious depression?
Mr.. 40, that is plain enough. Too
many men keeping cows. The business
is overdone.
Reporter-But, see here; don't that
idea apply to about every other kind of
business just as we'll as to dairying?
Can you do any better, or even as well,
raising grain, beef, pork, mutton, or
any farm product?
Mr.. A-Maybe; but I'm certain the
dairy business is ruined
Reporter-Let me ask you Mr.. A. If
you are doing anything with your herd
OF COWS to improve them, or make them
earn more money?
Mr.. A-Nol And what is more 1
don't believe in that sort of talk.
Reporter-what kind of talk?
Mr.. A-Oh, this talk about improv-
ing the cows. Years ago when we had
nothing but native cows we got good
prices. Now, with all our improved
cows, that you talk about, where are
we? Here is butter lower than ever
before.
Reporter-But see here, Mr.. A.
How can you expect any profit on your
milk if you have poor cows? l believe,
from what l know of your herd, that
you would have more money at the end
of the year, il you got rid of fully one
half Of your cows. l believe that in
your number of twenty cows, there are
not over ten but what are running you
in debt, year after year. Your milk
record at the creamery shows that your
average for the past three years does
not exceed 1000 pounds of milk to the
COW, and the average of butter fat to
the COW is only three pounds and three
quarters, to the 100 pounds of milk.
Now that is 371 pounds of fat to every
900 pounds of milk, or $50 pounds of
butter fat for each cow in your herd for
the whole year. Add one-sixth to get
the churn yield, and you have 175
pounds of butter. You received, last
year, 10 cents a pound for this butter,
which was the average Elgin price,
which would be S31.50. Subtract from
this the cost of making, which was
1912, and you have $25.39 per COW,
for all the labor and food you spent, for
one whole year, to get that butter. 1t
is true, you got 1925 pounds of skim
milk, which if you understood how to
feed it, was worth, say twenty cents a
hundred pounds, or S765. Add this to
your net sum, $25.39, and you have
$33. 04 per cow for your pay. Hay was
will consume, at least, two tons in a
is $1,000 Add to that all the grain
and other forage you fed your cows, to-
gether with the pasturage, and you can
see for yourself that the cost of keeping
your cows was fully $1,000. Now with
such cows that only yield 1900 pounds
of 1916 per cent of milk, how can you
expect to make any profit?
Mr.. A-Well, that is the first time
ever saw the thing figured out, and it
does look pretty dark.
Reporter-Well, Mr.. A., / am aston
ished to hear you say you have never
figured out your business before. How
can you expect to get along if you do
not use the arltnmetlcI
Mr.. A-Oh, L suppose / get along
just as the rest of them do. Haven't
got the time to do much figuring you
know. But as you seem to think my
way of doing things is all wrong, tell
me what your way would be.
Reporter-Well, the first thing l
would do would be to thoroughly test
those COWS by the Babcock test, for the
next three months. 1t is clear you
have but few of what may be called
profitable cows. Your low average of
milk and butter fat shows that. Next,
would dispose of every COW that
would not show that she could produce,
at least, 200 pounds of butter fat in a
year. Then 1 would buy rst-class,
registered bull, of good pedigree, from
mothers of good record, and set about
raising good herd of cows. would
make it my special business to produce
fine cows. As low in price as butter is,
a good, well bred, two-year-old heifer
will bring as good price as fair six
year-old horse. Then, if 1 wanted to
sell any of my cows, 1 would have
something other men wanted. l would
breed all of my heifers back to their
father, 80 that the granddaughters
should be three. quarters inbred of the
blood of the sire. When the grand
daughters came to breeding age l would
out cross them to a sire of the same
breed. That means, 1 would not
change sires until it was necessary to
breed the granddaughters. More than
this, if 1 were you, would commence
TO make better and deeper study of
this business of keeping cows. If but
ter was thirty cents pound you could
make some money on your present
knowledge and way of doing things.
But you ought to see that your ideas,
and your kind of cows, are not sufficient
to bring any profit in these times. If
you had looked into this matter ten
years ago, had taken the advice of
Hoards Dairyman, and made good,
thorough dairy farmer of yourself, you
would now have a herd of cows that
even for the average prices for butter
of the past year, would bring you some
profit. AS it is you are doing business
at dead loss. Believe me, Mr.. A.,
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