224 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH DAIRYING IN NEW 



ENGLAND? 



Richard Pattee, Laconia, N. H. 

 (Abstract.) 



Successful farming means the reasonable certainty of an in- 

 come .from the land sufficient to provide such measure of the 

 comforts of life as will make farming attractive to high class 

 men and women, when compared with similar reward from 

 other occupations. 



The income derived from land depends upon its fertility. 

 The least expensive fertility is that provided by feeding farm 

 crops to animals on the farms. If that form be not profitable 

 others cannot. This means the keeping of cattle of some sort. 



Beef raising may or may not be profitable in New England. 

 Dairying is better adapted to our small sized farms, and the 

 demands of the surrounding markets. Here if anywhere it 

 should pay to keep dairy cows. 



W^e are confronted by a peculiar and unsatisfactory condition 

 in all the New England states. Our human population is in- 

 creasing, our cities and towns are gaining in population by leaps 

 and bounds. But our cows are disappearing. Almost every 

 county shows a steady decrease m cow population during the 

 past five years. 



We have bigger cities but smaller farms ; bigger markets with 

 less production ; a growing demand with a retreating supply. 

 I he question is why? If it can be answered the remedy may 

 be found. If not, dairy farming in New England is doomed. 



The first step in the treatment of any trouble is to find out 

 what the matter is. 



In this respect New England suffers from lack of reliable 

 information. There is no cohesion among her widely scattered 

 people divided into six states with varied and antagonistic inter- 

 ests. Only very lately has the general public come to appre- 



