148 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE, 



to the farmers than any other state in the Union. Thirty-four 

 cents for fat taken at the farmer's door is quite a good price. 

 The highest price I have seen in the western states was 27 1-2 

 cents, for the month that we paid 31 cents. I have an instance 

 of a farmer who had 13 cows. He asked me to give him the 

 results, and I sent him the figures from the creamery books. 

 The checks from the creamery and the calves he had sold gave 

 him an income of $76 from each cow. Deducting the grain bill 

 it gave him a net profit of $58 per cow. They were mostly 

 graded Jerseys, two or three of them thoroughbreds. He 

 claims that the skim-milk that came from these cows, and the 

 dressing, paid for the hay they ate, and he thought he was con- 

 servative in saying that he had received a net profit of $58 per 

 cow. If you can get a cow worth $50 or $60 that will give you 

 $58 a year profit, that is about 100 per cent on the investment. 

 I do not know of any other business that a man could engage 

 in and get this profit. Some men will say that it is hard work 

 and very confining to stay at home and take care of the cows 

 night and morning. You have to say the same about any other 

 business. The banker has to count his money every morning. 

 It is not more confining than other business. 



I will not take much more of your time. I am glad to say 

 that the prospects for the State of Maine look very good indeed 

 with regard to dairying. I have belonged to this association 

 ever since it started and have attended all its meetings, and I 

 can see by the interest manifested here and the intelligence of 

 the farmers, and especially when going to their stables after they 

 have attended these conventions, that it has a good effect. And 

 I am looking for something better for the State of Maine. I 

 think the farmers will go into the cow business instead of put- 

 ting their money into the savings banks as mentioned yesterday. 

 They will put it into better stables, better equipments and better 

 cows. 



