Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-03-04
OUR BEEF INDUSTRY

In your edition of February 18th
read an article by o. NJ. Richardson en-
titled, "Dairying VS.. Beef Growing"
The author of this contribution is un-
doubtedly honest in purpose, but, il
seems to me, is given to error in his sup
positions. lie takes exceptions to the
position of the Maine Farmer in en-
couraging beef production in Maine.
endorse your papers attitude toward
the beef industry, and am prepared to
prove by facts-not suppositions-that
beef producing cattle can be protitably
raised in Maine to-day. Dairying is
profitable. On that proposition your
contributor and stand together. My
claim is this: That dairying does not
yield far greater profits than beef rails
ing" and that the net returns from the
white faces" will compare favorably
with the net income from the dairy
cows.
Facts are particularly attractive to me.
Something interesting in this line was
recently published, report of the
creameries of Maine. Ii is perhaps I'M
possible To obtain statistics that are ac-
curate to nicely; yet these figures are
substantially correct and should receive
credit. The following data are from the
report of 5. W. Matthews, commissioner
of the bureau of industrial and labor
statistics. There are 81 creameries in
the state, whose management is repre-
sented by IS creamery plants. Fourteen
plants which make butter only, report
an average annual yield of l64 pounds
per Cow and l3 of these plants report
$50. .29 the average amount per COW paid
TO patrons. Twenty-three plants which
make butter and also sell cream, report
$3.50 the amount paid to patrons per
COW. The IS plants paid their patrons
an average of S34.20 per cow, and the
total value of productions, including
waste product, averages SAG, 10 per COW.
If the average dairy COW of Maine
were 300 pound COW, our Canton friends
opinions would be correct. As dairy
man am striving for that 800 pound an
nual average. Here is condition that
our farmers need to ponder, prevalence
of inferior cows in the dairy breeds.
What is the reason Maine has been the
jerseys stamping ground" for the last
half century? Holmes, Boutelle, Blanch-
ard, Pierce, Cobb, Briggs, such men have
lavished their money and exercised their
genius as breeders for the advancement
of the dairy industry. Why should the
average annual butter product of the
state fall below 200 pounds per COW? My
Judgment is that the common farmer is
responsible for this condition. If our
dairy farmers as a mass could be awaken
ed to the possibilities within their
grasp, possibilities of enlarged produc-
ton through producing blood wisely
handled mot dwarfed by adverse pre-
natal circumstances and stunted in later
developmenO it would be unnecessary
to advertise the get of kathleen's Son at
S25 head. Pedigreed dairy cattle
would receive an uplift in values never
before realized.
Now let us look at the beef business.
Our friends estimate of $3.50 for the
gross annual income from ten beef cattle
is too ludicrOus to receive comment. His
basis of calculation in his dairy estimates
is eight cows: and they are good ones.
So we will consider good stock cows.
NV imagination will not be drawn on
for an illustration. Rather, what one of
my neighbors did last year will be stat
ed. His achievement is exceptional
only in that very few farmers are trying
to do what he did; namely, get the best,
believe in it implicitly, and stay with it.
He raised pair of steer calves. These
calves represented the gross annual in
come of two cows. Their living was
e L., f,,rniS hAA N
hay and grass. These cows received
very little if any grain. The calves
lined at weaving time it. q in, and
would have weighed 400 pounds. Their
flesh was good enough to top the market.
We will use the gentleman own figures,
about six cents" making the beef
value of the calves, SS4. These calves
ate little grain, only small amount.
Four dollars would probably cover its
value. Thus $40 would represent the
yross income of each COW for one year
On strictly beef basis. Now l will
state what the actual gross income was.
He sold these calves for 500. He ex-
hibited them at one agricultural fair
and at that fair won SIS in premiums
with these calves and one other pair.
am unable to say what part of these
premiums was won by the calves under
| feel confident, how
ever, that it could not have been less than
$40. This is the beef business in Maine
to-day. The man who attempts to
produce beef with ill-adapted animals
will make rs great a failure as the man
who tries to make butter from beef cat
tie. The Farmer is right. Maine is big
enough for the white faces" the Short
horns, the Jerseys and the Holsteins.
In the days coming, somebody within
her borders is going to produce the
highest types of each. Who will it be?
j. III. Underwood in Maine Farmer.