COWS v. SHEEP.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4269, 15 November 1892, Page 2

COWS v. SHEEP.

In the course of a paper upon " Practical Dairy Fawning," read by Mr David Doull, of Southland, before the Wyndbam Farmers Club, tbal • authority thus compares the profits to be derived from dairying and sheepfarming: " Take a farm of 150 acres whiob, if fairly good land and well cultivated, will keep fifty first-clasß cows worth £1 per head. "If these T cows ate properly fed and in every . respeot well cared for, they will certainly yield GOO gallons of milk each. Atßd per gallon this w*ald give the owner £7 10e per cow. "Assuming that it costs Id per cow for each milking for eight months, this would be at the rate of £2 per cow for the season, leaving tho owner £5 10s for each, or in round numbers, £276 for tho season. From this amount it will bs neoessary to deduofc, aay, 10 per cent for deaths and some going wrong in their milk vessels, or otherwise, say £BS, and add to that £BO for interest, wear and tear on milk carl, horse, harness, and milk cans and boys' time driving milk to factory. This would bring tho amount down to £2lO. But if the farmer has sufficient milking power " within himself it will make a difference of £IOO in his favour. Having made allowance for cows dying and others going wrong in their milk vessels, I will now assume that there will be two fat cows for sale ever/ year(ont of those that go wrong in their vessels) worth, say, £4 10s each. This, you perceive, would loave the farmer with £Bl9 at of the season, or at tho rateof £2 %ki per acre, with a largo amount of Valuable manuro to boot. Now, let us see how sheep-farming works out. Take a farm of tho same,size and quality and put on 250 first-oUss crossbred ewes (being at the rate of fivo sheep for one cow) which, if properly attended to, should give a . x return of 2SO lambs,, say, at 8s each, or £IOO. Take the wool at 71bs per sheep and worth B£d per lb, and you will have£6ll9s 7d. Total proceeds of lambs and wool, £l6l 19a 7d. Deduot from this the usual expenses incidental to sheep-farming, say £ls, and allow £2O for rams and deaths, and the amount will be reduced to £l26l9s7d,oratriaeover 168 lid per acre,