PRIVATE DAIRYING. 



157 



tial in (lairyiiig. We luive a great lunnber ol niaikets here, and as 

 good ones as there are anywhere, eas^- of access. And we have 

 fine opportunities for shipping, if it should come to that, but it has not 

 yet. 



My idea of the dairying business here is that it is too diminutive 

 altogether. A man nuu- keep three or four cows and do pretty well 

 out of it, but still it will not support liiin. My idea is that ten cows 

 ought to be the standard number on these farms here. There is 

 hardly a farm in this county of any size but what could can-y that 

 number. I would not limit it to that either. 

 QfiiSTioN. What would you do for pasture? 



Mr. Lermond. I ride around considerably hunting for cows, and 

 I notice that all through Warren and Union and down through here 

 the first growth of grass in the pastures has gone to seed along the 

 first part of the summer. That is of no benefit to the cattle. The 

 cattle cannot eat it, and it prevents after growth. I judge the 

 pastures are not more than half stocked generally. Some are, of 

 course. It is poor policy to let pastures run without being suflficientlv 

 stocked through June and July. 



We have as good conditions for dairying in this county as they 

 have in other sections where they make it a profitable business ; and 

 if our fsirraers do not do it here, there must be fault somewhere with 

 them. It is not because they are not intelligent enough ; it is not 

 because they are not smart enough ; it is because thej- haven't got 

 their ideas up to it ; they have allowed themselves to plod along iu 

 the old style somewhat. I think there will be a time when dairying 

 will be a flourishing business here, and that it will be carried on in 

 the form of associated dairying. I think we should go into pi'ivate 

 dairying first, and get started, get the farms stocked, and be ready 

 for associated dairying. You could not do much of anything now 

 by associated dairying, because there are not cows enough. You 

 cannot run a cheese factory here successfully, just because there are 

 not enough cows. You do not see the profit there is in a herd of 

 cows by keeping two or three ; it don't amount to enough ; there is 

 too large a portion of it taken out for home consumption to show 

 the profit. 



Question. Wouldn't it pay to provender the cows the year round ? 



Mr. Lekmoxd. Yes; I think it would. I fed meal to mine all 

 summer, two quarts, except perhaps a short time, and I thought it 

 paid me. 



