84 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Of course the estimate of the value of hay in the barn will vary in> 

 different localities, but 1 think it is a fair average to allow teD» 

 dollars a ton for hay in the barn. I reckon nothing for interest or 

 taxes, because in whatever business a man engao;es on his farm he- 

 has those expenses, and it is the comparative profits of different 

 branches of the business that interests the farmer ; so it is fair to- 

 leave those items out of the question. I was in the milk selling 

 business at that time, but made some butter at times when we had* 

 a surplus of milk, and we found that seven quarts large milk meas- 

 ure would make a pound of butter ; but I have reckoned it at eight 

 quarts to the pound, because I find that that is the average of a 

 large number of butter factories. I do not propose to give any 

 figures here which can not be realized b}- any farmer here. I base- 

 my price for butter on what the average factories in the State wilt 

 pay their patrons. There may be some factories which pay more 

 and some less, but 20 cents per pound is a fair average of what the- 

 factories will pay you and manufacture the butter themselves. Any 

 good dairyman in the State who manufactures his own butter does- 

 not calculate to get less than 25 cents a pound, but I place the- 

 price right down to hard pan. The skim milk I have estimated at- 

 half a cent per quart. I would not be afraid to give that for a- 

 hundred quarts a da}' delivered at m}' house. I can get that out of 

 it by feeding it to pigs and calves and colts or most any young, 

 growing animal. 



I will give you another year's test with a herd of eight mature- 

 cows, some years ago, when I was making butter, and before i 

 began to feed cotton seed meal. My ration then was fifteen pounds- 

 of hay, two quarts of corn meal and four quarts of shorts per day> 

 which cost me, reckoned as in the other case, S36.30 per year,, 

 and they actually made one pound of butter per day per cow every- 

 da}- they were giving milk, or 800 pounds per year, and averaged; 

 2100 quarts of milk per year. Reckoning the butter at twenty cents- 

 per pound, $60.00, and the skim milk at one half cent per quart, 

 $9.00 we have $69.00, and deducting the cost of keeping, $36.30^ 

 we have $32.70 as net profit; or $28.16 per ton for hay; or the- 

 butter costs nine and one-tenth cents per pound. 



I once had a cow which in one year from the time she dropped 

 her calf, not having another in the year, gave 3285 quarts of milk 

 and made 516 pounds of butter, with a total cost of keep of $52.80'. 

 Her butter, after deducting skim milk cost seven and three-fourths- 



