No. 4.] BEEF PRODUCTION. 71 



abundant opportunity for development along that line. It is, 

 hoAA'ever, going to be done slowly. You are going to do it first 

 on farms where you have some tillable areas; where you can 

 produce silage and hay and use your upland pastures. Grass 

 grows native in New England; if you will give it a chance it 

 will come in. It only requires a little additional fertility. I 

 believe, too, that one reason for the present condition is that 

 same factor of competition that we had in the west. When this 

 strong competition in beef production came from the west we 

 let those things go. Now the question is, whether the time has 

 not come when we can diversify our industries and gradually 

 work into a better development and better utilization of these 

 areas. 



Mr. Wheeler. What do you think of our lowland? Here 

 in Massachusetts we have some 500,000 acres of lowlands, 

 at the present time practically untillable, too wet to cultivate, 

 yet growing big crops of grass and cheap hay, which of course 

 now is used largely for bedding purposes. I don't mean salt 

 marshes but fresh marshes. Are those practical to use, a part 

 of the year at least, for beef animals? 



Professor Wing. Oh, yes. Just as soon as it will pay you 

 to drain them. All of this waste land is to be drained and 

 utilized eventually; the question is, how soon and in what way. 

 The answer to that question will depend upon the cost of 

 drainage. There you are going to produce just exactly the 

 material to make a cheap meat. 



Mr. W^HEELER. I mean, before they are drained, — ■ in their 

 present condition? 



Professor Wing. I am afraid not. Those sedges and other 

 coarse foods of that sort you can't utilize very much more 

 for beef than for any other purpose. 



Question. I believe there is one phase that has not been 

 brought out. I don't know how it is in New York State, but 

 around here, for a good-sized calf that weighs from 80 to 100 

 pounds, they will give about $5 when born. Within two years 

 I have known of a calf being sold in Spencer for $22.50 when 

 it was only eight weeks old. Now, the temptation is for the 

 farmer to take his $5 for the young calf, or $15 to $25 for the 

 ordinary calf for veal, rather than to keep it until it is a year 



