348 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



forty of it for support and ten for production, you realize only 

 one-half as much product from it as you would if you had fifteen 

 animals which could more profitably consume the whole by devot- 

 ing' thirty of it to support and twenty to production. The fifteen 

 would be worth to you twice as much as tho twenty, and this 

 because the} 7 - doubled the value of your crops. To sell — to kill off 

 — to get rid of — twenty animals ma} 7 bring- more than fifteen of the 

 same weight; but to keep, to manufacture forage into meat or 

 milk, ten profitable animals are worth more than ten thousand 

 unprofitable ones. But I ask again, is that the way in which the 

 majority of farmers look at this matter? LTow would men trained 

 in accurate business principles look at it ? Try and think how 

 such a man w T ould work out a similar problem. 



To illustrate, let us suppose an analogous case. We will assume 

 that a man owning an eligibly situated privilege wants to start 

 some manufactory. He goes to a maker of water wheels and 

 says to him : " I want a wheel to run a mill. I have water which 

 in amount and fall is equal to 100 horse power, if it could be fully 

 utilized. I do not expect to realize the whole, but I want to come 

 as near to it as possible. How nearly will your wheel do what I 

 desire, and what is the price ? The reply is, "I will warrant my 

 wheel to utilize three-fifths or sixty per cent, of the actual power, 

 and the price is $1000." "That is not satisfactory, too much 

 •waste, I must have more. Make me one which will utilize seventy 

 per cent, (instead of sixty) and 1 will pay what more is right or 

 needful even up to $'2000 for it ; for each horse power is worth to 

 me more than $100, and I had better pay double for seventj' than 

 take sixty at your price ; or make it utilize eighty per cent, ami I 

 will pay, if need be, even up to $3000 ; or if you can make it utilize 

 ninety per cent, even up to $4000 — and it need cost you but little 

 if any more to make the one than the other — if you know how to 

 do it. 



The case with cattle machinery is closely parallel with tin's. It 

 costs only a trifle more to raise and to feed a cow which yields a 

 hundred dollars a year than one which yields fifty, but the actual 

 difference in value is great, it is fifty dollars clean profit, fifty dollars 

 net gain, every year, so long as Bhe lasts. And that which will 

 pay you fifty dollars clear profit, annually, for a term of years aa 

 long as a cow may be expected to be servieeable, is worth more 

 than what is commonly considered the difference in price or value 

 between a very good and a middling good cow. 



