Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-21
STATE HOUSE.
Maine Farmers Raising More
NeatC Cattle Than Formerly.
Increase Since 1892 in Cows and
Young Cattle Amounts to SO, 04O.
News o! interest Among Various Departments
al the State Capitol.

The report of the Board of State As
SCISSORS for the year 1901. which has
recently been issued. reveals the fact
that since the year 1892 the number Of
COWS in the State has only increased
5000. In the year 1882 there were
1885 cows in Maine and in 1901 the
number was lii.0S4. This increase
apparently is no, of such proportions
as to cause much satisfaction to the
farmers of the State. But If the num-
Der of 3-year-olds. 2-year-olds and
ycaylings Is added to the total for both
years the gain Is more pronounced. In
1892 there We're of the four classes
named 244.99t and in 1901 there were
Ole These figures show that last
year the gain in young cattle over 8
years ago was 30,950 while the gain In
the four classes enumerated was &c.
90, which indicates. if anything. that
the farmers of the State are really
raising more cattle nowadays than
they did decade ago. The young cat
tie are nearly all heifers and for COM
parison may be classed as cows.
The report of the State Assessors nj
so shows another important fact and
thar is that The number of oxen owned
In the State has been gradually dimin-
fishing year by year until now only
1912 are reported by the assessors
against 26,s09 in 1892. This fact shows
that oxen are not used by farmers to
any great extent for draught purposes.
The total number of all classes OF
neat stock in Maine in 1892. including
oxen, cows and young cattle. was 271,-
595. while in 1901 the number had In
creased 10 2sS,02s, gain of 16.433. So
that, regardless of the big falling off
il oxen. the raising Of young cattle
has been increasing.
Ten year ago the raising Of sheep in
Maine was carried on much more ex-
tensiveiy than at present In 1892
there were 370,602 sheep in the State,
while In 1901 the number was reduced
70 236,49b, a falling off OF 1874 .107. Sew
eral reasons are given for this large
reduction In the number of sheep, the
most plausible being that the farmers
OF Maine have found that the dairy
business is far more profitable in
vestment than sheep raising. One
farmer in kennebec county, 10 years
ago. kept from so 10 100 sheep and only
blFe GoN ilc oV SoNS ulu
no sheep. 1t made little difference
years ago, whether the price Of wool
was up or down, farmers raised about
SO many sheep each year anyway. An-
other cause for the falling off in
sheep raising Is the fact that Western
lambs are brought into the Eastern
market and sold at a price that would
hardly pay Maine farmers If they kept
up competition. And 50 the farmers
are abandoning to great extent
sheep husbandry and using their
farms in raising and supporting cows.
That this change is a highly conf
mendable one no sensible farmer will
gainsay. The great increase in the
dairy business OF the State cannot fail
70 be more general in the next decade
| than it has in the past and that 1t will
be a source of added profit to Maine
farmers is an indisputable fact.
| In the raising of swine since 1892
| the Maine farmers have not shown any
! large gain; in fact, the increase is only
slight. In 1892 there were 33,445
| swine in the State. and In 1901 the
number was 1880, showing a gain of
1876. With dressed hog selling for
~ cents a pound it would seem as if
swine raising might be a source of
profit to the farmer, and that In the
future the number should show a more
marked increase.