FEEDING HAY. 99 



to the prodiuttion of grass, and, from the present outlook, the grass 

 crop of Maine in the future will become of greater importance than 

 in the past. 



There are thousands of acres of the ver}- best grass lands of the 

 State, that only need to be cleared of their present growth of wood 

 and brush, to make fine grass farms. The large amount of hay that 

 is sold in this State 3-earlv into the markets of other States, puts 

 into the hands of the farmers large sums of money. In many cases 

 it is sold at the expense of the fertility of their farms, and they are 

 producing less tons of hay everj- year. The question of great im- 

 portance with the farmers at the present time, who are selling their 

 ha^-, is how to maintain the fertility of their farms and continue to 

 sell their hay crop from year to year. We think that nearly every 

 farmer will admit that he cannot make the production of hay a 

 specialt}' for the market, for a series of years, without reducing the 

 fertility of his farm. 



The average price of hay in the Bangor market, for the last 

 ten years, has been $13.00 per ton. The hay that commands this 

 price must be of the very best quality. We think the average price 

 of the best quality, at the barn, cannot be reckoned at over $10.00 

 per ton, for it will cost from two to three dollars per ton to press it 

 and haul to market. 



We have asked man}' farmers, who practice selling their hay, this 

 question : " What is the cost of producing a ton of hay?" and we 

 generallj' receive for an answer — " We don't know, but we think 

 selling hay pays, for we get quite large sums of monej' for it every 

 3"ear, and more than in an}- other way that we can dispose of it." 



Last winter R. W. Murch, President of the Penobscot Farmers' 

 Club, read a paper on the production of ha}-, giving the cost per 

 ton. Mr. Murch, is a farmer of experience, owns a large farm, and 

 aells about a hundred tons of ha}- yearly. He figures, in reckoning 

 the cost of hay per ton, the rent on land, taxes, value of dressing 

 necessary to maintain the fertilit}- of the soil, and cost of labor 

 required for havesting and delivering at market, all at the value of 

 a cash transaction. According to his figures the total cost of pro- 

 ducing a ton of hay amounts to $13, the average price per ton in 

 Bangor for the last ten years. He claimed that the profits derived 

 by the farmers in selling hay is in their not putting but little if any 

 cash into the crop, having the hel[) necessary to do the work them- 

 selves. 



