8 DAIRY FARMING 



and $10 as the value of the calf, we have a total income 

 of $97 a year. Subtracting from this $50 as the average 

 cost of the feed, we have $47 remaining to pay for the 

 labor and interest on investments. 



Where good milk and cream markets are available the 

 income from the sale of milk and cream may be actually 

 double that from butter at 25 cents per pound. More- 

 over, with cows of a higher productive capacity than that 

 here considered, the profits would be more than propor- 

 tionally increased. 



Indirect Profits. The marvelous growth of the dairy 

 industry has in part been necessitated by the need of con- 

 serving and increasing the fertility of lands that have 

 been cultivated without due regard to maintaining soil 

 fertility. The selling of raw products from the farm, 

 such as hay and grains, has been a constant source of soil 

 impoverishment. This method of robbing the soil of its 

 natural plant food has made farming in many of the New 

 England and Southern States well nigh impossible with- 

 out the aid of commercial fertilizers. In some of these 

 states as much as $7,000,000 is expended annually for 

 these fertilizing materials. 



By feeding the raw materials of the farm to dairy cows, 

 we are not only manufacturing high priced products as 

 compared with the value of the raw material, but we are 

 retaining upon the farm that valuable by-product, the 

 manure, which contains about 75% of the fertilizing con- 

 stituents originally present in the feed. Where only but- 

 ter is sold, practically all of the fertilizing ingredients of 

 the feed are recovered, since butter contains scarcely any 

 fertilizing material. Even where cream is sold about 

 95% of the fertilizing value of the feed is retained upon 

 the farm. 



