for less than the cost of production. In making an attempt to gain a' 

 temporary livelihood from dairying, many have sacrificed the fertility 

 of their farms, employed the most primitive methods of housing and 

 caring for the dairy stock, while the family have cared for the milk, 

 and for the dairy utensils without credit. The dairyman has forgotten 

 or neglected to estimate his time at a fair value and to take into con- 

 sideration the cost and depreciation of barn tools, dairy utensils,, 

 and such perishable tools and supplies as brushes, salt, soap, ice,., 

 bedding, bull service, veterinary services, and the like, all of which 

 are absolutely necessary. In other words, the keeping of accurate 

 accounts and the application of the ordinary business methods have 

 been too often neglected. Such methods on the part of the producer 

 as against the organized business method of the contractor have re- 

 sulted in a measure at least in the establishing of a relatively low 

 wholesale or retail price. 



Now that health authorities are with right demanding better dairy 

 methods, the producer is indeed confronted with a serious problem, 

 namely, how to conform to modern sanitary requirements in the face 

 of the increased cost of labor, grain and tools and produce milk at a 

 reasonable profit. He is meeting this problem at present in a nega- 

 tive way, by selling his cows and trying to turn his attention to other 

 lines of agricultural industry. 



FIVE SUGGESTIONS FOR DAIRYMEN. 



I. Dairying should be combined with praduction of cash crops. ^ 

 Experience indicates that as a rule it has not been profitable to pro- 

 duce milk as the only source of income, and sell it at wholesale in the 

 general markets, at prices ordinarily prevailing. In fact, the state- 

 ment has been made recently that in systems of intensive agriculture, 

 the manure from the dairy herd is the real source of profit, — milk and 

 butter being only by-products. Under conditions prevailing in 

 Massachusetts it is possible to farm without dairy animals by placing 

 dependence upon commercial fertilizers to keep up fertility. It is be- 

 lieved, however, that in the long run it will be better for the average 

 farmer to combine both dairying and cash crop production, keeping 

 one mature animal (horse or cow) to every four or five acres in crops 

 (grass or cultivated areas). The farm manure is too valuable a factor 

 to be neglected and every effort should be made to conserve and 

 utilize it. 



