18 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Sept., 



STOCK RAISING. 



The raising of stock is a prominent branch of agriculture 

 in Connecticut. A majority of our farmers depend upon 

 their dairy products as their chief source of income. There 

 is plenty of upland pasture and excellent transportation fa- 

 cilities to large markets. Xo better section for dairy prod- 

 ucts is found anywhere in America. Good roads and near-by 

 markets enable the Connecticut farmer to dispose of the bulk 

 of his product in the form of fresh milk, while the surplus, if 

 any, can be turned into butter and cheese at good prices. 

 The farmers in the western part of the state find a good mar- 

 ket in Xew York, where large quantities of milk are shipped 

 from the Housatonic Valley. In eastern Connecticut many 

 of the farmers produce milk which goes to either the Boston 

 or Providence markets. 



Fine herds of pure-bred cattle are to be found throughout 

 the state, prominent among which are the Jersey, Holstein, 

 Guernsey and Ayrshire. On January 1st, 1918, it was esti- 

 mated by the Bureau of Crop Estimates of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture that the aggregate number of 

 milch cov/s in Connecticut was 116,000, of an average value of 

 $85.00 each, an increase of $11.50 per head since January 

 1st, 1917, showing that milk testing associations had in- 

 creased the average production per cow and furnished inform- 

 ation to the farmer whereby he was enabled to dispose of his 

 unprofitable cows. The average milk production per cow for 

 3 918 was approximately 5,500 pounds. 



A large acreage of Connecticut soil has been planted to 

 corn, the estimate for I91T being nearly 100,000 acres. Grass 

 and alfalfa are also largely grown for stock purposes. The 

 dairymen are represented by two state organizations which 

 aim to protect the interests of the producer and bring them 

 in closer contact with the consuming public. One, the Con- 

 necticut Dairymen's Association, is primarily an educational 

 organization for the benefit of both the producer and the con- 

 sumer, as its object is to induce the dairymen of the 

 state to use modern methods of management so that the price 

 to the consumer shall be that of economical production plus 

 a profit, while on the consumer it would impress the desira- 

 bility of using milk as a food, also the cost of producing the 



