Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1912-12-04
MAKING COWS PAY BETTER.

0. L. Martin, commissioner of agri-
culture of this state, says that there
are less COWS in Vermont now than
there were few years ago, and he is
also quite certain that they are of a
much higher grade and that therefore
the supply of milk and cream is full as
great as ever.
He claims that the farmers have
Disseminated in their choice of cattle
and are raising better stock, wedding
out the "boarders" so-called, namely,
COWS which did not give a reasonable
return of milk and therefore did not
pay their own expense. All of this is
in line with the careful and painstak-
ing effort which has been made in
Europe for generations and which led
up to the splendid breeds of cows
which have been imported into this
country known as Jerseys, Holsteins,
etc.
Along with the improvement of the
breeds of cattle have come higher
prices for feed stuffs brought from the
West, and there again the American
feeder has learned from his own ex-
periences and from those of foreigners
tons, etc, the value of feeding a ra-
results for. looking back Is years or
so, one remembers that the principal
feeds in this part of the world were
hay, corn meal, and occasionally
little bran. while nowadays feeders are
carefully studying the question of u.s.
ing various by-products and thus Civ
ing their COWS as much protein as they
can stand consistent with not over
feeding and not injurng their growth
or making them sick.
In no department of life has there
been more advancement owing to
study than that of farming. 1t is safe
to predict however that even this
question of scientific feeding for milk
production has not yet reached it's final
stage and that further experiments
will develop a still better breed OF
cattle and a method of feeding them
which will be an improvement on that
now in existence.
AS to the future prices Of grain and
products it is fair to suppose that they
| will never be down to the very low
| basis which prevailed Is or 20 years
| ago, for the simple reason that the
population of the country, together
with that of the world. has advanced
| faster than the production of these
| cereals. It may be that farmers in
the East will find it wise to raise a
larger quantity of grain in the future
and be able to do so profitably. It is
also probable that with improved
methods in the West there will be a
larger production without an increased
| acreage.
Whatever the future prices of grain
may be, however, they will also be in
| fuenced by good and bad years, and it
is doubtful if for long time to come
prices are higher than those of the
crop year of 1911-1912. Meanwhile
! during the coming season it would
seem as though liberal winter feeding
will be in order owing to the lower
prices now prevailing and that all
| farmers will try to make as much milk
as possible.
In years past there have been a good
many dairies in this section which re-
lied almost entirely on the summer
production of milk, cows being simply
wintered over without the use of much
grain. This year, however. will prob.
| ably prove to be somewhat of an ex-
ception as with lower prices owing to
the bountiful crop Of 1912 and with a
fair price for milk, it is reasonable tc
suppose that the farmers will give
grain to their COWS more than in the
past years and will find it profitable te
do so.
This is big country and the high
prices for grain which have prevailed
during the last year have made the
Western farmers rich, while here il
the East the high cost of grain anc
feed stuffs has proved quite a heavy
burden for the consuming public.
There was a poor crop of oats in
1911 and a reduced PERCENTAGE of corn
though wheat was fair crop, while il
1912 there has been a very bountifu
crop of wheat and barley.