26 University of Xew Hampshire [Sta. Bull. 322 



few exceptions this will mean adjustments within present boundary 

 lines. More intensive management to secure higher yields of hay 

 may be more logical than attempting to add additional tillage. 



In the usual situation the operator is rather definitely limited as 

 to tillage land available to him. and he must gear his farm organi- 

 zation more or less around this available tillage land. If he will not 

 have sufiicient roughage for the requirements of the dairy herd of 

 a size which is logical and economic in relation to available labor, he 

 can improve pastures to carry the stock for a longer pasture season 

 and can by intensive management increase the yields of rougliage 

 on the limited tillage land. On many of the farms in this area corn 

 silage cannot be depended upon. A shorter rotation involving more 

 frequent reseeding and the use of a high-yielding annual hay crop 

 in the rotation represent possil)le adjustments to intensify the use 

 of land where tillage area is limited. 



On most farms in the region pasturage under present management 

 is not adequate to fill the requirements of dairy cows for the entire 

 season, but this deficiency can be met by a more intensive pasture 

 program on part of the area now available. 



On the whole, the possibility uf adjusting the present pattern of 

 ownership to balance the individual farm. organization is more feas- 

 ible through woodlot ownershiji. While most farms have consider- 

 able woodland acreage, many are w ithout forest resources on which 

 labor can be productively applied. In the more concentrated dairy 

 farm area of Colebrook the acreage of woodland per farm is low. 



The net income to the 0])erators on these farms without timber 

 resources could be raised by productive employment of man and 

 team on woodlands for short periods in the winter. The possibility 

 of developing the timber resources on the limited woodland areas 

 and the ac(|niring (if ndditii mal woDdhuul should ])e considered. 



The Combination of Milk and Potato Production 



The production of milk has been the foundation of the farm econ- 

 omy of the region for several decades. Dairying tends to maintain 

 the productivity of the tillage land. It affords employment through- 

 out the year. The returns ])er hour may not be large, l)ut the mod- 

 erate returns for the large total of hours recjuired result in substan- 

 tial total returns for the year. 



The Colebrook operators in common with other New England 

 farmers have a comparative advantage in the production of fluid 

 milk to fill the demands of the local New England markets. The 

 Colebrook area is in the 24i-250-mile milk zone from Boston and 

 thus subject to heavy transportation costs as compared to southern 

 New England, but has offsetting advantages in better pastures and 

 good hay lands.* The farms in the area will no doubt continue to be 

 a factor in the fluid milk market. But even without this special 

 market, milk production for butter or cream would probablv be a 

 better alternative than other livestock enterprises. The gross in- 

 come from other livestock would be low. and agriculture would 



•The freight on milk from Colebrook to Boston from Deci-mhcr. 1934. to Jul v. 19.19. h.is been 



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