Making a Dairy Farm Pay 



There is much to be said in favor of dairy farming, no 

 matter what the size of the place may be. It is an excel- 

 lent system for providing a monthly cash income, and 

 may be managed so as to yield a high rate of profit, par- 

 ticularly if there are good transportation facilities or the 

 farm is located near a large town. Soil fertility is best 

 maintained on a place that has considerable live stock. 



A dairy is a good basis for operations in a case where 

 a city family takes land, for it affords an immediate 

 income with which to meet the expense of hired help and 

 the cost of getting started. On any place beyond the 

 dimensions of a garden or orchard it is best to start with 

 an experienced man. Possibly after one season the family 

 may manage the work. 



Fifteen to twenty cows are not too many for fifty 

 acres. Ten cows may be kept on thirty to forty acres. 

 The modern plan is to restrict the pasture to a few acres 

 and feed with silage or soiling crops. Summer feeding 

 is necessary to keep up a regular output of milk, and it 

 is best to begin with this fact settled, so time and effort 

 will not be wasted in experiments, nor an undue amount 

 of land given up to pasturage. 



A fact in favor of the dairy is that the owner can esti- 

 mate both income and expense with reasonable certainty. 

 Prices on milk and butter change little, especially where 

 there are private customers. Any one who has a suitable 

 location can command top-notch prices for dairy prod- 

 ucts which are handled with taste and skill. The demand 

 is continual, is never exceeded by supply, and high prices 



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