Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-03-29
DON'T BE SCARED.

MAINE LIVE STOCK INTERESTS ALI
RIGHT n THE CALVES ARE GROWN.
One Of the outside agricultural papers
Is good deal alarmed for the interests
Of Maine farmers, over the fact that dur
ing the past year over l2,O00 sound,
healthy, first-clsss cows, such "a our cat
tie market reporter designstes rs the
best cows arriving at that market, have
left the farms OF Maine and gone tC
Brighton market TO contribute their
numbers TO the supply called for TO meet
the demands Of trade, aud II very con-
siderately advises that this Is all wrong
and will, II continued. lead TO ruin in
the end unless there is proportionate In
crease OF equal value In the young stock
grown. la similar condition OF mind
and along the same line, our esteemed
correspondent, Hon. j. N. Deering OF
Saco, In our issue OF the Sd, presents
figures showing the same loss 10 the
state. Asa curious coincidence, our NJ
tentive correspondent, Mr.. Atherton, in
the same number, takes up the refrain
and sdmoui.hes farmers cf the dire re-
results Of selling such gooa stock. The
great error Of this reasoning is that those
who proffer il are confining their vision
TO only one factor of the problem. Fol-
lowing out, first, this one matter OF sell
ing cows, when the equation II worked
out 10 a finish, we cannot fail TO all agree
that instead of It's being cause for
A.. tt 4. IL aA IN hA ~ r m
ers OF MSiue and sn evidence OF pros
perity among them that they have been
able TO send out OF our border, 1900
tested cows OF the highest merit In n
single year, provided the future increase
mas been secured. Before questioning
the propriety OF such n course, IL would
be aell for such TO fully understand the
situation.
Maine dairying differs from that OF
Massachusetts,. where large part OF the
cows sold have gone. There they make
milk and buy the cows. Maine dairy
men make butter and cheese and raise
calves. Maine is the great breeding
ground of New England. Stock can be
raised here st less cost than In ANY other
state this side the Mississippi River.
We have as good stock TO raise IL from
as there is In the breeds represented.
Our dsirying is double business OF
making milk and raising stock. Those
II 600 cows msy represent our surplus
for the year. Barring the matter OF u
slight variation one year with another,
the sales OF last year are but duplicate
OF the year before, and our farmers will
be ready 10 repeat il sgsin next year.
There is no desrth Of stock in the barns
OF Maine At the present time
But il Is said those COWS were select
cows, high priced. True, and that Is the
kind our farmers are growing up Tor
sale. No one need think for = moment
there are no good ones coming on 10 take
the places Of those sold. Go with Us
through the barns Of our dairymen and
YOU will still find young and promising
cows that liberal offers have not moved.
and plenty of heifers quite Is promising.
Eight carloads OF select COWS have been
taken out from Winthrop the past win
ter. Yet that town has It's usual compile
mept still on hand, and not few oi
them, such as tempting offers could not
reach. Who can say, then, that II was
not good policy 10 sell OF this surplus
stock: That is part Of the business. In
this, Mr.. Deering will find an answer To
his question: "If dsirying Is so good =
business, why are farmers selling on
their best cows"
La regard 10 the ''loss In our general
live stock interests" assumed by some
one, and which Mr.. Deering takes fol
granted, We are unable 10 find the proof
OF il At the barns, and nothing on paper
10 cause alarm. True, for few years
there was falling of In the numoer OF
oxen in the state, due TO causes vel
understood. But farms are now being
stocked up 10 their usual carrying cspa'
city, and We are now gaining our former
lost ground through marked increase
in the number of calves raised. Accord
ing To the report Of the State Assessors
the number OF one-yesr-old cattle in-
creased from 81 200 in 1894 10 34,UoO IN
1895. From '95 To 81 the continued iu-
crease carried the number up TO i5,WV
The increase of cattle OF all kinds on the
farms of Maine for the two last years
reached the very handsome number OF
upwards of 5000
CertAinly these figures are gooc
showing. The most critical figurer can
not find in them suy proof OF "loss-
The sale Of the three million nine hun
dred thou sand dollars worth OF stoct
lamented over by our correspondent, III
stead OF impoverishing the farmers, has
/ left them With their barns full OF cattle
as usual, and all that money in addition
Our farmers are selling stock 10 larg'
numbers, and the facts show they ar'
raising up calves not only TO NIL the Va
e.pcy but 10 largely increase the sales II
the future. These are not supposition'
but facts on record. Nothing betteI
could be asked Of our cattle husbandry
The place Of the steers both on th'
/ farm and in the market, Is being largely
taken by the cows. So far as the money
itself goes. il matters not whether re
/ ceiy.d for cows or steers. As 10 tnt
eomparative profits OF one with th'
other. the growers must know what the,
are about and take care OF that side o.
the problem. The raising Of such COW:
as we are selling out OF the state, VII
hold its place alongside OF the steer sno
beef trade every time. SO, that tnt
steers have been exchanged for cows car
ries with it nothing TO condemn from
business view. provided the best are re
tsined for breeding and the numoeI
steadily increased.
The Maine Farmer has ever been .
champion of our stock interests. Ii stll
claims that stock husbandry is the oss'i
OF AGRICULTURAL prosperity in our state
II ia sou nd in irs position that for dairy
inc ., hee, making 10 be made profitsbl'
the wedding process is yearly to be rigid
Iy applied. but the removals must o.
from the lower and not the upPe
strata" That the stock Is rapidly OF
the increase is therefore evidence unmis
taxable OF advancing prosperity amoni
our fsrmers.-Msine Farmer.