Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-12-26
Stock Husbandry Of Maine.

ocrat, Paris, Ne.
Stock Husbandry Of Maine.
Extract Of paper read by Hon. John NJ. Deer
ing. before State Dairy Meeting at Pittshed
Dec. s, 1905.
hardly know where to commence
upon SO broad a subject as your presi-
dent has requested me to speak upon
to-day, and it will be impossible for me
to cover all of the different points en-
bracing this most important industry.
The live stock industry consists of all
the different breeds and all of the differ.
ent products produced ffom them. But,
fortunately, there are many things fairly
well settled, and which do not need to
be discussed at this time. Therefore,
shall only touch upon few points that
in my opinion need our attention. The
cattle husbsndry of the state is an agri-
cultural industry, and like all other in
dustries must take its chance with the
changes and conditions as they take
place from time to time.
A radical change has taken place in our
cattle husbandry within the last twenty
five years. During the years from 1854
TO 1890 had the honor of representing
York county as a member of the Board
of Agriculture, and being engaged at
that time both in dairying and in the
beef business, ii caused me to be some
what familiar with the cattle husbandry
of the state. Reports show that the cat
tie population changes in numbers, and
that no two years will agree. In 1884,
there were three hundred thousand cat
tie in the state, with one hundred and
fifty thousand oxen and steers, and one
hundred and fifty thousand cows and
heifers, and breeds consisting of the
Durhams, Herefords, DevOns and ma
tives, with few Jerseys. There were
no butter factories at this time, and the
farmers were carrying on what was call
ed private dairying with such breeds as
they had, depending principally upon
selling yearly their oxen and steers to
pay their taxes and other expenses.
Previous to this time, the cattle industry
had been fairly prosperous, and at this
starting point we find the cattle husband
~ of the state equally divided between
what we will call the beef growing
interest and the dairy interest. About
the wears of 1886 to 1890 depression
struck the beef side of the industry by
coming in contact with Western compe-
tition, and in the year 1889 there were
eight hundred cattle to every one thou
sand persons in the country, the largest
number in proportion to the population
ever recorded in the history of the
country before or since, and no foreign
markets to take up the surplus.
The history of the live stock industry
shows that we started in 1884 with
about one hundred thousand milch cows
and in 1904, twenty years later, we had
increased in numbers to three hundred
thousand. see by the State Assessors
Report that we lost somewhat this last
year, but that is no evidence that the
dairy interests are on the wane, for
there are no two years on record that the
number of cows are reported alike.
Conditions make changes in our live
stock the same as different conditions
change other agricultural lines of in
dustry. For instance, once in every few
years, our hay crop is cut short, Oblig-
ing many farmers to dispose of a por-
ton of their stock. Then again, the
market for milch cows in other New
England states is much better some
years than in others. In 1901, there
were over thirteen thousand cows ship
ped out of Maine for milking purposes,
and in 1908 eleven thousand five hun
dred. So we see that few cows less
in a certain year does not prove that we
are losing, If the heifers are coming to
fill their places.
The State of Maine has become dairy
state, with its high-bred, heavy-produc-
ing dairy herds, and in my opinion, we
have as good line of dairy stock as any
state in the Union. But in obtaining
this stock, we have changed our breeds,
the feed and the habitation of our cattle,
and there is a vast difference between
handling a fine-cut cream OF milk pro-
ducing COW than the old-fashioned,
hardy. rustling, common-purpose COW
which we used to deal with. And we
should bear in mind that We have been
for the last twenty-five years breeding
up our herds, endeavoring all the while
to obtain higher type dairy COW, and
it seems to be fact that as we breed up
the producing qualities we breed down
the constitution-or, put it in another
way, if you please, the higher the type
the larger the producer. the more strain
upon the constitution; and the more
delicate the animal, and the more sus-
ceptible to diseases.
The law that was passed by the last
legislature, through the influence Of the
Dairy Association, holds you down to
the tuberculin test, and 0bliges you to
deliver only healthy animals when pur-
chased from you. At first, this seemed
to be little hard OH the breeders who
were breeding cattle for sale, and some
complained that it was discrimination
between the pure blood breeds and the
common breeds of cattle, but that senti-
ment seems to be passing away, and the
majority of the breeders are living up to
the law in good faith, and are doing all
in their power to satisfy their customers.
The success of the dairy interest in the
future will depend largely upon the
health and condition of our herds. No
dairy herd can be profitable unless
healthy.
l don't want to be understood that a
warm tie-up will cause disease, If prop
erly ventilated, because do not think it
will, but if your tie-up is close and
warm, and poorly ventilated, and filled
with cattle, and if there are any disease
germs lurking around, such conditions
will cause diseases to develop more
quickly than under we'll ventilated con-
ditions.
There is no necessity Of my laying
down any specific rules. In ventilating
our stables, there are many practical
devices, which must be worked out
from an economical standpoint by TAX
ing into consideration the different con-
struction of our barns, and other con-
ditions. But let us figure for moment.
Take one of these close tie-ups, 90 feet
long, 12 feet deep, and Z feet high, and
we have 5,040 feet of air space. Such q
tie-up will tie twenty cows; this gives
each COW $50 cubic feet of air. Now, If
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