The Glasgow courier., 1916-02-04
MARKET ALFALFA HAY
THROUGH THE CATTLE

THROUGH THE CATTLE
Why should the farmer sell his al
falfa hay for IS per ton when he can
get rid of it at the rate of $50 to $35
per ton? That such marketing has
been done by southeastern Idaho
farmers is evidence of the fact that
the feat is entirely within the range
of possibilities of Montana where the
conditions are practically identical.
Whatever else these areas may pro-
duce, the ne plus ultra, the climax of
their productive glory is reached in
the countless acres of waving alfalfa
which spreads like a vast green blan-
ket over the fields of this country.
When the mighty hay stacks are
rearing their pleasing forms on every
hand to the delight of the eye of the
rancher, he is confronted with this
proposition. What shall do with
it? Obviously there are but two So
lutions to this problem. Either the
hay must be sold as such or fed up,
and in either case the question is one
of markets. Will it be more profit
able to sell the hay or to feed it and
sell the products?
How many farmers ever stop to es-
innate the bill that must be charged
up to every ton Of alfalfa that leaves
their place. F. M. Roseman & Sons,
Of Idaho, figuring on the basis of an
acre assuming the land is already
seeded and the yield to be three tons,
which they consider to be fair aver
age, find the account running as fol-
lows: Water tax, according to the
1913 rate, $1.65; total cost of harvest
ing from moving to stacking, inclu-
sive, $5.25. In addition to this the hay
from that acre, according to figures
based upon table vi in Warren's
Elements of Agriculture, will contain
48 pounds of fertilizing constituents
This is exclusive of the nitrogen con.
tent because the growth of legume
leaves more of that element in the
soil than is removed by it. Since
the value of the fertilizing constitu
ents of ton of hay is lost when th'
hay is sold from the place they be-
lieve that such value should b
charged to the hay when it is disposed
of in that manner. At the mar
ket price of potash and phosphori'
fertilizers this item would amount t.
$500, thereby making grand tota
against the hay of $3.50, or bill o
$4.6O ton.
Although the price of the produc
in the stack may fluctuate somewha
from year to year, it is believed tina
SIS per ton is about the best averag
price that can safely be figured upol
With these figures as basis, there
fore, the man who sells his hay out
right makes profit of 40 cents tol
providing no other circumstances aris
to increase the cost of production.
Now look at the alternate propos
tion of feeding the hay and marketin
the products. These gentlemen be
lieve there are various classes of liv
stock through which the alfalfa ma
be marketed, doubtless to NOR
profitable ending than selling it frol
the stack, but they have chosen dair
cattle as a means of marketing thei
hay and they are firmly convince
that the dairy COW has the ability
make ton of alfalfa more valuabl
Under the generally prevailing sy'
tenn of industrial organization of tt
country the dairyman has the alte1
natives of marketing his products {
whole milk and cream to privat
trade, selling cream to the creamer
or making butter for private trad
Being satisfied that the maximum
amount of profit is reached in the la
ter case F. M. Roseman & Sons al
making butter for private customer
One of the main advantages to tt
farmer in marketing his hay throug
the dairy cow with butter as leadt
is the multiplicity of profits. Butte
is only a peculiar and very complica
ed arrangement Of elements from tt
air-carbon. hydrogen and oxyge
How many city housewives who es
the golden butter with such toothson