138 



Thirty-oIxth Annual Report of the 



paid by the creamery as to make the enterprise at best a doubtful 

 one ; that, in other words, there are a great many Vermont dairy- 

 men who are not succeeding and that the intelUgent ones are 

 not often found in that hst. Such a showing ought to incite 

 to better things. Take, for instance, numbers 74 and 80*, Or- 

 leans County dairymen, living less than a mile apart, cream going 

 to one creamery and paid for by one management. Note the com- 

 parative results. 



cow 

 Mr. Lyon's comment ; ''No. 74 feeds fairly well apparently, 

 but in all probability has very inferior animals." 



As to my personal judgment of the validity of the results 

 of Mr. Lyon's work I am free to confess that I think his price 

 for hay is set too high. This greatly increases the estimated 

 cost for food, since hay is the main source of food used. Twelve 

 dollars a ton was undoubtedly the average sales price, but in 

 selling hay one sells not only food but fertilizer, while in feeding 

 hay the latter is not sold but is retained upon the farm. It is a 

 moot point whether it is or is not just to charge the cows the 

 full sales prices. If, however, it is lowered to $10 or even to $8, 

 the record of the average herd will be barely brought upon the 

 plus side of the comparison. Then too, as has already been re- 

 membered the personal equation of the observer is an important 

 matter. A study of the sundry censuses taken by Mr. Lyon and 

 by others elsewhere leads me on the whole to believe that he is 

 on the bear rather than on the bull side of the market ; perfectly 

 honest and sincere his judgments, thoroughly well informed as 

 to and experienced in the special line of work, but inclined to- 



*These are Mr. Lyon's number.s and liave no reference whatever 

 to the creamery notation. 



