116 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



BUTTER DAIRYING. 



By G. M. Gowell, President of the Board. 



When considering the propriety' of pursuing anj^ course of stock 

 or crop production, there are, or should be, two objective points, 

 never to be lost sight of. First, the influence of the course upon the 

 condition and welfare of the farm. Second, its influence upon the 

 farmer and his receipts. It is perfectl}' safe to be guided b}- the 

 assertion, that any course which does not tend to the building up or 

 increased productiveness of the farm should be avoided. I do not 

 wish to draw comparisons between the different methods of utilizing 

 the grass and hay crop, b}' producing beef, wool, mutton, cheese or 

 butter ; for, practically, it makes but little difference to the fertility 

 of the farm, so long as the crop is consumed upon, or the resulting 

 manure returned to the land that produced the crop. 



Accepting it as a fact, that in the management of our farms some 

 one branch must be pursued as a leading specialty, attended by 

 others of minor importance, if desired, we come at once to consider 

 the subject of Butter Dairying as an important interest, and one 

 worthy of our attention, where surroundings and 'circumstances are 

 favorable to its pursuit. The demand for butter in the markets at 

 home and abroad, and the location of our State, with its cool 

 clin)ate, pure water, and natural grass producing capacit}', are 

 strong arguments in favor of supplying not only our own wants, but 

 exporting largely of the finest qualit}' of dairy goods. 



There are but few farms in Maine, comparatively, that are not 

 adapted to the production of butter. Anj' land that furnishes good 

 qualities of cultivated or natural grasses, with an al)undance of pure 

 cool water, can be used successfully for dairying. It has been, and 

 still seems to be quite generally supposed, that unless a farm con- 

 tained an extensive pasture, producing an abundance of grass, and 

 not liable to be affected bv summer droughts, it could not be used 

 to advantage as a dairy farm. This is accounted for, probably, b}" 

 the prevailing idea that no other food furnishes so good a quality of 

 butter as grass, and that hay, and the cool weather of other portions 

 of the 3'ear are not conducive to its production. By growing crops, 

 especially for forage, and feeding to the cows, nights and mornings, 



