Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-05-21
Dsirymen Must Grow Own Feed.

Dairymen Must Grow Own Feed.
In very much TO the point bulletin
j. B. Abbott, the agent Of the Middlese1
county, Mass, farm bureau, drives home
the truth that it 10 now profitable fol
New England farmers 10 grow more feed
He gives charts showing the tremendous
increase In the price of corn, oats and
rye. Mr.. Abbott comes out flat-f0oted
and says that Ii will be only matter oi
time at that, before dairymen are forced
out OF business unless they turn to
raising more corn, clover and other crops
of high feeding value, instead of such a
large acreage Of hay of low feeding
value. Conditions have changed and
IL is no longer possible to buy feed at
market prices and compete successfully
with dairymen Of other sections who
grow . much larger portion OF the ra-
tion." One interesting chart shows how
back In 1890 ton of hay would buy
better than IS bushels of corn. Since
that time the number of bushels has
been steadily dropping, until in 1910 a
ton Of hay would buy only about 25
bushels corn, and today will buy less
than 10 bushels.
His bulletin refers to the tremendous
expansion of agriculture in the days
following the civil war and the expan-
sion of improved farm machinery. Over
production of farm crops was reflected
In the declining prices of grains. In
those days New England dairymen found
it more profitable to buy large amounts
of concentrated feeding stuffs than to 60
10 the expense of growing them. A very
large percentage of the improved land
was allowed to lie in hay. While that
system may have been correct then, it
has long since outlived it's usefulness, as
the conditions which brought 1t about
have disappeared. There are no more
cheap feeds, nor are there likely to be.
HAY NOT AS PROFITABLE.
Figures show that feed prices have
been rising for 20 years. Since 1897 con-
sumption has overtaken production.
The tide of prices has turned sharply up
ward and economical production of
dairy products solely or even largely on
the basis OF purchased commercial feeds
has become almost impossible. The
increase in prices since the outbreak OF
the present war has been particularly
rapid, but has been Offset In part by in
creases in the prices of dairy products.
Hay which exceeds all other crops in
acreage by q wide margin, has not in.
creased in price nearly as greatly as the
grains of concentrated feeding stuffs,
and hence Is relatively less profitable to
grow than 1t was 10 to 20 years ago,
when the price of ton of hay could buy
nearly ton of grain. From this Mr..
Abbott draws the conclusion that the
time has come to cut down the acreage
of hay and increase the acreage OF
crops of higher feeding value and thus
decrease the expenditure for CONNER
cial feeding stuffs. The saving thus ef-
fected will much more than Offset the
increase in the cost Of doing so. Silage
corn, field corn, clover, peas and oats,
and alfalfa, where It can be grown, are
particularly well adapted for this pur-
pose.
Comparing the digestible nutrients in
crops from one acre with ton OF corn
meal or ton of cottonseed meal, Mr..
Abbott shows that the actual carbody-
dratss and fat in ton Of corn meal are
q little better than 1900 pounds, and In
cottouseed meal less than 1000 pounds.
On the other hand, the product Of one
acre of silage corn gives $500 pounds of
oarbohy ydratss and fat, while field corn
gives little less than $500 pounds In
form of ears, and the stover pushes 1t
up to 45O0 pounds from the acre. As to
protein the corn meal carries about $50
pounds digestible, while the cottonseed
runs up to about $50 pounds to the ton.
In silage corn the protein runs little
over 800 pounds to the acre, and practi-
cslly the same for the field corn. The
protein value from an acre OF alfalfa is
practically the same as with ton OF
cottonseed meal.