172 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



DAIKY STOCK. 



ESSEX. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



We suppose there is a twofold object in offering this pre- 

 mium. First, to induce owners of good herds to exhibit their 

 stock, and thus add to the interest of our annual show; and, 

 second, to elicit, by the required statements, reliable inform- 

 ation respecting the manner and cost of keeping, and the 

 income obtained. We think the latter a matter of very great 

 importance. There has been much written of late regarding 

 the profit of this branch of farming, and this question is 

 frequently discussed among farmers. It is pretty generally 

 conceded by practical formers in this region, that the margin 

 of profit in the dairy is small, although a person is occasion- 

 ally found who thinks the production of milk for the market 

 a money-making business. We do not propose to discuss 

 this question, but would call attention to the need of more 

 definite and exact information respecting this branch of farm- 

 ing. Very few persons really hnoio how much value their 

 cows produce in a year, or how much value in food and labor 

 is expended on them. 



The dairy forms one part of the farm operations, and they 

 may, perhaps, be able to tell at the end of the year whether, 

 on the whole, they have gained anything from the farm ; but 

 they cannot tell whether or not it would have paid better to 

 have sold the produce consumed by the cows and bought a 

 quantity of manure equal in value to that produced by the 

 cows. Every farmer who keeps a herd of cows, or who thinks 

 of doing it, would like to know how much money return he 

 can reasonably expect to receive from such a herd of cows as 

 is practicable for him to obtain. If our milk producers, who 



