Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-03-11
oAlRylNe VS.. BEEF GROWING.
THE OTHER SIDE Is HEARD FROM.

THE OTHER SIDE Is HEARD FROM.
In recent paper noticed an article
by o. NJ. Richardson headed, "Dairying
VS.. Beef Growing" and was amused
when | read il to see how one sided an
argument man can make when he
wishes to prove his way is the best. He
says a good COW should produce 800
pounds of butter in year at an average
price of 20 cents, giving gross income
of $50. Perhaps she should produce
that amount, and there are cows that
with extra care can be made to produce
considerably more than that. But |
have this to say, that | have collected
cream for about eight years, from several
hundreds of cows, and from some of the
best farmers in this section and | never
yet have seen the farmer who has sold
cream enough To make 800 pounds of
butter per COW in a year, no matter
whether he had one COW or twenty. l
have one patron that with two cows has
sold over so pounds in one month, but
he never has reached 600 pounds in
year. 200 pounds per cow would be
4
We want to know what good cow
will pay with good keeping and care such
as the average farmer can give her, and
not what some expert can do with his
cows. Mr.. Richardson says that if you
have farm that will keep 10 head of
cattle, you can keep s cows and heifers
and have cows to sell each year,
which he will call $40. 1t seems to me
that the $40, or large part of it, should
be credited to the farm and not to the
cows, for the cows have nothing to do
with the heifers after they are weaned.
Then he says if you go into beef rails
ing and sell your stock at two years old
you cannot sell over three head and keep
your stock good in year, and that $50
would be good price for them at two
years old, thus giving only $50 a year VS..
$40 for dairying. If that is fact,
would not blame any one Tor not raising
beef | never knew before that COW
that raised beef animal was not good
for anything else, but always supposed
she might do fairly well producing
cream. All that can see that he gives
them credit for is three beef animals a
year worth $50 apiece at two years old,
and the farm should have credit in a
great measure for what they gained
after being weaned; thus giving these
eight cows of the beef breed a pretty
poor showing.
If man intends to raise beef and has
some good stock cows, he wants to keep
them for breeders, and instead of selling
them for beef, raise their produce and
sell that for beef and keep them as long
rs profitable, unless he can better him
sell by changing; for the COW is just as
good for breeding purposes at eight or
ten years of age rs she ever was. III a
man has eight cows and they each have
a calf every year why can he not sell
eight head year after he gets started
and still keep his herd good and those
cows will also produce quite lot of
milk and cream for which they should
have credit. Let one man take eight |
cows of the beef type and another take |
eight cows of the dairy type, giving |
each an equal chance, one giving his at |
tention to raising beef and the other to |
dairying and each utilizing all of the |
products of his cows, and the one who |
comes out ahead has got the most profit |
able breed. | do not think it would be |
altogether One-sided either.
Now as to the best stock to keep, l
will give you some of my experience |
with Holstein cattle. From two Hol- |
stein cows, one registered and the other |
a grade that came in in September last, |
received pay from the Turner Centre
Creamery for 63 LILO pounds butter in
November and "a - in December. The |
registered cows calf has not sucked |
since he was five days old but has been
raised so far on creamery milk with a |
little grain added. When he was two |
months old he weighed 224 pounds, at |
3 months 800, at 4 months 400 pounds, |
and is still growing; his feed now is oat |
meal, Indian meal, linseed meal, and
bran equal parts by measure, and cream |
cry milk. We take about quart of
this mixture, pour boiling water to it,
stir il up and add creamery milk enough |
to fill a tin pail, giving him this twice
day and what hay he will eat. The first
Holstein bull ever owned weighed at
eight months and 10 days of age, SIS
pounds, and at l-2 years, $50. sold |
him at years and he weighed over 2, 100.
have been to Brighton twice with Hol-
stein cattle which sold for beef. The |
first pair | sold for beef for s cents
pound, after winning the first premium
for beef at Oxford Co. fair, while all
neighbor could get was cents per
pound for a pair of Hereford and one
pair of Durham cattle that were exhibit
ed at the same fair. He asked the buyer
which he considered the best breed for
beef; he answered 1.-The Hereford, but
should like to buy some more cattle like
those had of Mr.. Brett" The next
pair sold when cattle were very low for
l-2 cents pound, live weight, $3.50
pounds, in Brighton, but they weighed
over 3700 at home, years, months
old. | raised pair of calves that ut
wears and months weighed 5, 100 and
girthed I feet. l could give you num-
Der more instances of Holstein cattle
that have sold for beef but think these
are sufficient to show that the breed is
quite good for beef.
As for their milking qualities, have
owned quite a number that have given
between 40 and 80 pounds of milk in a
day, one that gave over 81 pounds, and
one that gave 4,4I5 pounds in 30 con-
secutive days, and her milk tested 4.6.
have sold two cows for 500 apiece and
can sell all can raise for $50 and up
wards readily. have some heifers that
will be two years old this spring that |
would not take $50 apiece for; they |
girth IL feet and have never eaten s. |
worth of grain. Mr.. Richardson thinks |
that it will cost more to put l 200 pounds |
on an animal than TO keep cow year |
that will earn $50. have no doubt but
that can take such Holstein calves as
raise and gain them ZOO pounds for less
cost than he can keep such COW year.
To sum it all up, the best stock for the
farmer to raise is COW that will give
large quantity of good milk, and that
will drop calf that will bring $40 Tor
veal when or ) weeks old, or If you
want to raise it will bring $50 at two
wears without extra feeding, and will
also bring good price herself.-D. L.
Brett in Maine Farmer.