COWS v. SHEEP.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3178, 5 November 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

COWS v. SHEEP.

In the course of a paper upon " Practical Dairy Farming," read by Mr David Doull, of Southland, before the Wyndham Farmers' Club, that authority thug compares the profits to be derived from dairying and sheep-farming : " Take a farm of 150 acres which, if fairly good land and well cultivated, will keep 50 first-class cows worth £7 per head. If these cows are properly fed and io every respect well-cared for, they will certainly yield 600 gallons of milk each. At 3d per gallon this would give the owner £7 10s per cow. Assuming that it cost 3ld per cow for each milking for eight months, this would be at the rate of £2 per cow for the season, leaving the owner £5 10s for each, or, in round numbers, £275 for the season. From this amount it will be necessary to deduct, say, 10 per cent, for deaths and some going wrong iu their milk vessels or otherwise, say £35, and add to that £30 for interest, wear and tear on milk cart, horse, harness, and milk cans, and boys' time driving milk to factory. This would bring the amount down to £210. But if the farmer has sufficient milking power within himself it will make a differsnce of £100 in his favour. Having made allowance for cows dying and others going wrong in thuir milk vessels, I will now assume that there will be two fat cows for sale every year (out of those that go wrong in their vessels) worth, say, £4 10s each. This, you perceive, would leave the farmer with £319 at the end of the season, or at the rate of £2 2s 6d per acre, with a large amount of valuable manure to boot. Now, let us see how sheep-farm-ing works out. Take a farm of the same size and quality and put on 250 firat-clasa crossbred ewes (being at the rate of five sheep for one cow) which, if properly attended to, should give a return of 250 lamb?, say, at 83 each, or £100. Take the wool at 7lbs per sheep and worth SJd per lb, and you will have £61 19s 7d. Total proceeds of lambs and wool, £161 19s 7d. Deduct from this the usual expenses incidental to sheep-farming, say £15, and allow £20 for rams and deaths, and the amount will be reduced to £126 19a 7d, or a trifle over 16s lid per acre. The flute has been in use for 4000 years.