1909. 
NEW-YORKER 
149 
HOW MUCH OF THE DOLLAR? 
The Milk Maker’s Profit. 
You call for comment on B. W. Putnam’s 
article on “IIow Much of the Dollar,” page 
934 . His figures seem misleading to me. 
His milk from 13 cows brought $1,04.1. 
presumably he got this in actual cash. His 
middleman retailed this milk for $2,669. 
We don’t know how much he collected, but 
surely not all of it. Mr. Putnam claims an 
investment of over $12,000, as against the 
retailer’s $800. If that means anything, it 
means that with costly buildings for com¬ 
fort or pleasure, or high-priced land, or 
both, all that was produced for sale was 
$1,041 worth of milk. Is that so? He 
credits the retailer with just the value of 
his teams, bottles, good will, etc. The re¬ 
tailer has to have buildings for use and to 
live in, too. Following the idea of propor¬ 
tion, the retailer should have a $40,000 
plant. Mr. Putnam says he is getting about 
one-third more for his milk this season, but 
claims this gain in price is swallowed up 
in the advanced cost of feed stuffs. Is it? 
A successful dairyman recently told me that 
in cotton-seed meal. Ajax flakes, malt- 
sprouts and Alfalfa, the present best sources 
of protein supply, he considered that his 
protein cost him no more than in the “old 
days” of cheap cornmeal and mixed feed. 
This charging up of the interest on the 
value of a farmhouse against one line of 
business carried on on that farm does not 
look to me fair. In a recent article (Nov. 
28), A. P. R-> of Massachusetts, who fig¬ 
ures out a loss on keeping his cows, charges 
the interest on a $2,000 mortgage against 
his herd of six cows, valued at $300. Is 
that fair? The Hope Farm man tells us 
that his farm is assessed at $8,000. Would 
he charge the interest on that against any 
one line of his farming, or all of it, for 
that matter? How much of that $8,000 rep¬ 
resents “environment,” and things not actu¬ 
ally necessary to the business of farming? 
The most cases I know the producer does 
not get his rightful share; still we can mis¬ 
lead ourselves with figures. e. a. j. 
Massachusetts. 
In revising my figures, I find an error 
in the item of the producer’s margin. This 
should have been $457.44, instead of 
$505.10, as stated; the difference, $47.66, 
was a credit to the cows, as the value of 
the young calves for the year, and should 
not have been included in this milk account. 
My cows being grade Jerseys, bull a regis¬ 
tered Jersey, we raise our heifer calves, 
calling them $5 at birth, and sell the bulls 
for feeding and vealing purposes, at what¬ 
ever they will bring at one week old or 
under, and credit the amount to each re¬ 
spective cow. Other than as noted above, 
the statement runs correct, as the follow¬ 
ing schedule will show: 
Corrected report for 1907 on 13.5 grade 
Jersey cows, total milk, 68,879 pounds, 
average of 5,102.2 each. Total cost of 
feed for herd, $583.76; cow average 
$43,241; ratio, 21.860 cents. Producer’s 
gain over feed, $457.44; cow average, 
$33,885; ratio, 17.134 cents; 8.009.2 gal¬ 
lons milk sold to dealer, $.1,041.20; cow 
average, $77.120; ratio, 39.000 cents; deal¬ 
er’s gain, 8,009.2 gallons milk, $1,628.53; 
cow average, $120,632; ratio, 61.000 cents; 
consumer's cost, 32,030.8 quarts milk, $2,- 
669.73; cow average, $197,758; ratio, 100 
cents. This shows the feed cost of the con¬ 
sumer’s dollar to be 21.866 cents. 
The producer’s gain or profit over and 
above the cost or market price of feed con¬ 
sumed and not including labor, investment, 
depreciation, etc., to be 17.134 cents. It 
also show the total cost of the 8.009.2 gal¬ 
lons milk at 13 cents per gallon to be 
$1,041.20, or 39 cents, leaving a margin or 
gross profit to the dealer of $1,628.53, or 
61 cents, out of which must come the nec¬ 
essary expenses as mentioned above. The 
cost to the consumer for the 32,036.8 quarts 
at 81-3 cents being $2,669.73, or the en¬ 
tire dollar. In short, if my compilations 
are correct, this gives a relative ratio, as 
between the profit showing of the producer 
and dealer, of 1 :3.56, between the dealer’s 
cost and the consumer’s cost of 1 :2.56, and 
between the feed cost and consumer's cost 
of 1:4.57. 
It will also be seen that the feed cost 
of this milk, testing close to five per cent 
butter fat, is 84.8 cents per 100 pounds, 
7.291 cents per gallon and 1.823 cents per 
quart. This wide margin between the origi¬ 
nal feed cost and the consumer’s cost, 
$4.56 to $1, certainly looks sufficient to 
cover all legitimate set-offs for labor, invest¬ 
ment, depreciation, etc., and still give the 
producer a reasonable profit. For the fur¬ 
ther information of the inquirer, I will say 
that the total cost of feed, averaging 
$43.74, covers everything consumed by said 
cows in the 12 months, including pasture 
at $8 for the season. The roughage was 
grown on the place and charged to the 
animals individually each month at the 
market value in the barn; clover, millet 
and oat pea hay at $10 and corn silage 
at $2.80 per ton. The grain feed was all 
bought, mostly on a co-operative basis, 
and in car lots, and charged as above at 
cost of same. 
THE RURAL, 
My small farm of 60 acres, with only 
good, comfortable buildings, is but one mile 
from the limits of a city of over 100,000 
people, and is valued at $200 per acre; is 
well located and equipped for the dairy 
business, and is practically given up to 
this industry. I admit, however, that for 
obvious reasons, both our average milk yield 
and income, owing largely to an unpaid di¬ 
vision of profits, were not what they should 
have been, but as 1909 will find us with a 
herd of about 30 cows, a well equipped milk 
room, and a larger proportion of the con¬ 
sumer’s dollar, we hope for better results. 
The matter of investment in former article 
was intended simply as a comparison, and 
I consider it a fair one in this case. 
It is possible that feeds rich in protein 
have not advanced in proportion to corn 
and other rich carbohydrate bearing feed 
stuffs, and yet in buying a car of gluten 
feed in August this year I paid $29 per 
ton, as against $25.50 in the Summer of 
1907, and my experience goes to prove that 
a balanced ration during the present year 
has cost from 20 to 50 per cent above for¬ 
mer years. A cheap ration can be made 
of corn silage and cotton-seed meal, and 
some are using it, but at best it is radically 
short in carbohydrates, and experimental. 
A table of .15 or more leading concentrated 
feeds, compiled in the Summer of 1907, 
rates the average cost of protein at 2.50 
cents, and carbohydrates and fat combined 
at 1.50 cents per pound as against 2.10 
cents and 1.75 cents, in table of September 
this year. This indicates a higher relative 
price for the latter, which doubtless is 
true. I hope to see this matter carefully 
thrashed out by other Rural readers. 
B. w. PUTNAM. 
PERIODIC OPHTHALMIA 
Two years ago I bought a mare, said to 
be 11 years old. She had a scum on one 
eye, which owner said had been caused sev¬ 
eral months before by her tearing the lid 
on a nail in manger. At the time of buy¬ 
ing the eye did not seem to trouble her, 
she could see with it and can yet, but at 
certain times this eye waters and gives 
her great pain and uneasiness. She rubs 
it almost constantly; her appearance and 
actions indicating great distress. These 
periods last from 24 to 36 hours, after 
which the trouble leaves as suddenly as 
it comes and she will be all right for sev¬ 
eral weeks. In one case she did not have 
an attack for more than four months, but 
it usually occurs at intervals of three or 
four weeks. Ordinarily she is a fine road¬ 
ster, a delightful driving animal, and safe 
but when suffering from one of those spells 
she is unfit for driving or any kind of 
work. The story owner told me about the 
eye being torn with nail I have since 
learned is true but I am not sure that 
there was no trouble in eye before the 
accident. a. a. m. 
Pennsylvania. 
The accident referred to may have ag¬ 
gravated an already existent condition, 
but it seems certain that the true disease 
present now is periodic ophthalmia (moon 
blindness) which is incurable, considered 
hereditary and certain to end in blindness 
of one or both eyes. Darken the stable. 
At times of attack give her a dram of 
iodide of potash three times daily in 
water, unless she happens to be in foal. 
Once daily, right along, rub the eyelids 
thoroughly with a mixture of one part of 
citrine ointment and three parts of lano¬ 
lin and when pain is severe stop using the 
ointment and cover the eye with a soft 
cloth to be kept wet with a lotion com¬ 
posed of half a dram each of sulphate of 
zinc and fluid extract of belladonna leaves 
with 10 di'ops of carbolic acid in a quart 
of cold water. After the inflammation sub¬ 
sides, but the eye remains cloudy or 
opaque, paint the eyeball once daily for 
10 days with a solution of two grains of 
nitrate of silver in an ounce of distilled 
water, to be kept in a blue glass bottle to 
prevent chemical changes. If the ointment 
irritates reduce it with lanolin until irri¬ 
tation is no longer caused. Feed mare 
hay from manger and not from overhead 
rack, so as to prevent chaff or dust from 
entering the eye. The irritating effect of 
dust brings on the attack. A. s. a. 
Florida Orange Boxes. —One of your 
correspondents criticises the size of the 
Florida orange box. This year they are 
using to a considerable extent the Califor¬ 
nia size box; not with intent to defraud 
but to have a. uniform orange package for 
the whole country. As California would not 
make their boxes larger, we are making ours 
smaller. f. h. 
Tangerine, Fla. 
Oregon Prices. —We have got to have 
The R. N.-Y. if we cut out a dollar’s 
worth of meat this year (by the way the 
chunk would be small at Hood River 
prices). Every thing we eat in this Valley 
si based as to value upon the prices re¬ 
ceived for Spitzenburg and Newtown 
apples. If the merchant can figure the 
net profit to the farmer on a box of 
apples and finds that he isn't getting it 
all there is a call for a gathering of the 
“gents” in some of the back rooms and the 
result is the immediate necessity for an 
advance in prices. Flour has advanced in 
India, meat in Mexico, beans in Jersey, 
and feed I dare not quote for fear of be¬ 
ing called a liar. A sack of bran, 60 
pounds, $1.10. Never mind. Some day, 
somewhere, Mr. Farmer will awake. Your 
fine paper is on the right track now to 
do this. c. f. w. 
Hood River, Ore. 
When you write advertisers mention Tiih 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 12. 
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CORN 
fa.pm? 
Are you thinking of buying another farm in order to 
extend your operations and produce larger crops? 
You will find it better in almost every way to build a 
new farm on top of the one you now have. 
Do not seek to farm more acres but make your land 
produce more bushels. 
If the farm you now have produces—say 35 bushels of 
oats per acre, instead of buying more land to get an addi¬ 
tional 35-bushel yield, why not make the farm you have 
produce 70 bushels per acre? You can do it. 
Buy an I.H.C. Manure Spreader 
It is the machine which enables you to take the ma¬ 
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Corn King, Cloverleaf and Kemp's 20th Century. 
r TL _ If* _ is of the return apron type. 
I ne l^orn lung The steel roller equipment of 
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International Harvester Company of America, Chicago, U. S. A. 
(Incorporated) 
