Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-05-22
Then and Now.

Then and Now.
appears an article entitled 'Then an(
Now" in which dairying of so years ago
with butter at II cents a pound, tn,
cows freshening in spring and going dry
in winter, thus requiring little grain
feed for the year, and what little wa
fed being produced from the farm, i
mentioned as having been profitable a
that time, and the question is submitted
as to its practice being altogether bad al
the present time.
Replying to your question as to wha,
my idea is regarding the matter will
say that agree with Brother Gilbert
when he says "With the double pei
pound value of the product now as com
pared with then, if the net realized I,
not largely ahead, then it must be tha,
present management is somewhere
seriously at fault" when the product
sold for II cents.
i well remember the conditions un-
der which dairying was conducted sc
years ago and go years ago as well
Then the herd of cows ranged from tC
or the latter number being the ex
ception. The milk was set in 10 quart
open pans and the cream churned il
an "up and down" cburn. But as re-
member it there was no necessity OF
making II cents per pound for the
product of the COW q basis for deter
mining the profit in keeping her, as in
the best practice 16 to Is cents were
realized. The price then, as now,
varied on account of quality, and those
receiving the above price were the bes,
buttermakers who could make an article
which would keep year, packed in 4C
ID. tubs and sold in winter when nc
butter was made, while an inferior
article was, if sold at all, sold at II
cents, or less.
Those old enough will recollect that
when COW was kept under the above
conditions at that time, with no real
market for hay and no grain fed, that
whatever revenue was derived from her
was generally considered profit. A COW
producing $50 lbs. of butter at II cts.
per ID. would pay $500 in butter, cali
"a 90, skim milk $500 making S25.OC
gross. She would eat two tons of hay.
So the hay would be sold TO her at Sl2. on
per ton, which was double the amount
che farmer could have sold it for in any
market he had at that time, thus making
the real profit as We now reckon ii
Sl2.00.
But how is it to-day under modern
and improved management, with butter
at 90 cts. per h.? The COW which, under
the management of 80 years ago, with
out grain feed, would yield $50 lbs. Of
butter annually, would at present if
properly handled, and daily ration of
IA lbs. of hay, % lbs. of corn ensilage
(cut in with ears) and 8 lbs. of cotton
seed meal fed in two feeds night and
morning, nothing being fed at noon, pro-
duce at least 200 lbs.
This at % cts per ID. (which is about
an average) would be S44.00; the calf,
81. 90; the skim milk, $500; making a
gross revenue of $500. Her feed, in
this locality, can be computed as follows:
Hay, Sl4.00; ensilage, $500; cot'onseed
meal, 5000; making the cost of keeping
S3l 90 Leaving profit Of $1,000, and
the farmer has sold his hay in this case
for 500 90 per ton. The feed as above
figured is for 200 days, and the amounts
are IOT jersey CoWS WOiShiuS oS'Su W
nine hundred lbs. Larger COWS would
require correspondingly more.
The above figures, as to rations, are
in accordance with my own practice,
followed for years, and results arrived at
are nothing more than any one can
secure, and no one should be satisfied
with any less.
As to having cows freshen in spring
at the present time, taking their "vaca-
tom in winter, there is no material
objection to the practice as conditions
have so changed that the price of butter
is more uniform than formerly. But if
this is practiced it will be in the interest
of economy to feed some grain to sup
plement the pasture feed during the last
part of the season unless some other
arrangement has been made for the pur-
pose.-Otis Meader in Maine Farmer.