FEEDING IIAY. 



103 



year reaching an average of 358 pounds. Mr. H. M. SniiLli of 

 Orrington, gets an average of $95 per cow for his herd. 



The cow that will make 300 pounds of l)utler in a year, if sold 

 for 25 cents a pound, it amounts to $75, which gives a fair profit; 

 while the cow that makes onl}' 150 pounds of butter will hardly pay 

 for her keeping. 



We think that any farmer who sells 100 tons of hay j-earlv, can 

 keep 40 good dairy cows, that would give a larger prolit on the hay 

 consumed and labor performed than is received from the soiling of 

 the hay. To reckon it at the price paid at shipping points, it 

 amounts to only $1,300 ; and we can with safety reckon the income 

 for a good dairj' cow at $80, which, for 40 cows, would amount to 

 $3,200. Now suppose we call the pasturing, grain and extra labor 

 $1,000 — $25 per cow — which leaves $2,200 for the hay fed out, or 

 $900 In excess of what it would have been worth on the market, 

 and with no credit given for either skimmed milk or dressing. 

 We think it makes no difference hoAv many cows are kept in a 

 herd, if each receives as good care as would be given a single cow. 



Associated cheese dairying is one of the specialties of farming 

 peculiarly adapted to INIaine. There can be no question, that in 

 good grazing sections, the cheese factories will realize to tlie farmers 

 and patrons, larger returns for the food consumed by their stock 

 than is now obtained b^- the course of mixed farming that is pursued 

 by many farmers. Our cheese factories ought to make cheese that 

 will command the highest price in any market in the world, and wc 

 ought to make better cheese in Maine, with our pure air, pure spring 

 water and fine pastures, than is made in the West. 



If the dairymen of Maine would give their business the attention 

 and care that the manufacturer and merchant give to their business 

 to make it a success, we cannot conceive of any carthh* reason why 

 dairying in Maine may not become the loading industry of the State, 

 and our dair}- products be made to compete successfully in all the 

 markets of the world, with the products of any State in the Union. 

 According to statistics received by the Secretary of the lioard of 

 Agriculture, from some thirty cheese factories, we have a total for 

 the State of 732,803 pounds, representihg a cash value of noai'ly 

 one hundred thousand dollars. There may be some advantage gained 

 in the cheese factory S3-stem over the butter dairy, in the cost of 

 keeping the cows, as most of the profits come in the sujnmer, when 

 they do not I'cquire the amount of grain through the winter season 



