70 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



all expenses. Recent tests in various dairy sections 

 of the United States have shown that in many cases 

 four cows were not producing as much net profit 

 as two should. 



Dairy farming always will be the most profitable 

 branch of American agriculture, as long as it is 

 intelligently handled. A dairy farmer has a small 

 manufacturing plant on his own place. There is 

 the raw material in the way of feeds which enter 

 into the finished product, such as milk or butter. 

 The by-products are retained on the farm for feed- 

 ing stock and enriching the soil. If cows of a high 

 grade are kept, there is absolutely no question as 

 to the final outcome, but the dairy cannot be 

 profitably run unless all cows are paying their way 

 from the start. 



PROFITS ON HIGH PRICE LAND 



The matter of profitable live stock is becoming 

 of increasing importance with the advance of land 

 values. When land was worth from] $20 to $50 

 per acre, when corn could be had for 25 cents per 

 bushel and oats at 20 cents, when grass could be 

 had on the range or on land that was not costly, 

 the proposition was not so serious. Of course, 

 profits were correspondingly small, but the amount 

 of capital invested was also small. With the pass- 

 ing of the years, however, all prices have advanced, 

 so that today $200 an acre land in the corn belt is 

 common. The dairyman must pay 50 to 60 cents 

 per bushel for his corn and 30 to 40 cents and some- 

 times more for his oats. His grass is grown on 

 land that in many cases is just as valuable as cul- 

 tivated areas. Concentrated feed is also high, and 

 so it comes about that the scrub must go. The 



