Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-04-17
Keeping Down the Cost OF Mink
Production.

II
| "a. L. Deering. County Agent, Kennebec
| County, Augussal
| "A penny saved 10 q penny earned, -
and penny saved per quart Of milk pro-
duced Will many times be the difference
between profit and loss.
To-day with the high cost of grain, In.
creased cost Of labor and the rising price
Of equipment the dairyman is consider
Ing means Of cutting down bis cost Of
production.
Figures taken from the dairy demon
stratioDs of Kennebec County show that
there are four big factors, that are COM
mon to the average dairyman of the
state. entering into the cost of milk pro-
duction.
These factors are, labor. grain, rough
age, and production.
Labor. The largest item of expense
to the average man producing milk is
the "chores' or more properly speaking.
labor. These "chores," labor, care OF
the herd or whatever You want to call 1t,
constitutes practically one-fourth OF the
entire cost of milk production, II the
dairyman considers his time worth what
he is obliged to pay should he hire.
How then can this labor be reduced
and get az good or better results at the
pail? All over this state are to be found
men who feed their stock morning,
noon, and night and some even five
or six times day. Probably Il never
has occurred to these men that II It 10
necessary to feed at noon It 10 equally
necessary to feed at midnight, the COW
doing as much work during the night as
during the day Two feeds morning and
night will produce as many pounds Of
milk or more In the average herd ss to
feed oftener. To feed oftener than twice
q day is waste OF time.
Another item of expense In the care OF
the herd that may be corrected Ia the
manner of watering. Few of the larger
dairymen indeed believe that the exer-
else gained by turning COWS loose to
drink is of sufficient value to warrant
the time In doing Ii. Especially is this
true where COWS are turned out to drink
ice cold water or exposed during cold
clustering days.
The man who can 80 arrange bis barn
and plan his work In It as to rid himself
of unnecessary labor 10 getting at the
very heart OF cheaper milk production.
Grain. This like labor constitutes
about one fourth of the total expense of
milk production. The fond hope of
raising all of our concentrates and doing
away with the expense of buying grain
will never be realized. Never will. we
raise our protein grains and probably
never all of our carbohydrates. The 80
luton to the grain question will be In
knowing how to choose the best concen-
trates on the market and putting them
together to make balanced ratious for
the cows. When We as dairymen know
how to do this We will be getting the
greatest amount of feed nutrients pos
sible at a substantial saving.
Roughages. Few and verv few dairy
men In Maine are raising sufficient silage
for feed even through the winter months
let alone to feed whenever COWS have
need Of roughage. Glover Is also raised
in much smaller amounts than 1t should
be. When We will raise plenty of good
silsge and good clover hay We can cut
down our grain bill materially.
Production. Inasmuch as 1t costs
the same to maintain COW whether she
be low producer or high producer, per
1000 lbs. of live weight, to increase milk
production would be TO decrease the cost
Of production. Repeatedly has this
statement been proven In Cow Test As
ISOLATION Work and Dairy Demonstra-
tions that the largest producing herds
are producing milk the cheapest per
quart, or per pound Of butterfat.
There are then four ways at least
whereby the average dsiryman can keep
down the cost of milk production. Fret,
BY so arranging his barn and planning
his work as to accomplish the most with
the least amount OF labor. Second, by
buying and feeding grain intelligently.
Third, by raising larger proportion OF
clover and silage for roughages. Fourth,
innrsaaa the production OF bis herd.