PROFIT IN SKILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5456, 7 January 1896, Page 2

PROFIT IN SKILL.

(Australian Farm, and Home.)

Professor Eobertson, chief dairy expert, Department of Agriculture, Canada, says that " in producing a pound of butter there is sixty-six times more skill required than in producing a pound of potatoes."

Let us see for a moment just what that means.

1. It means that it requires sixty-six times more skill to make a pound of fine butter than a pound of potatoes. That explains why you will see sixty-six times more people growing potatoes than making fine butter.

2. It means also that if you have the use them, there is sixty-six brains and willfit in a pound of fine butter than in a pound of potatoes.

3. It means that skill is entirely founded on the use of brains, and good intelligent brains at that.

4. It means that there is but little difference in the price paid for potatoes grown by ignorance or intelligence, but there is a big difference in the price of the butter of intelligence or ignorance. 5. It means that in the domain of dairy farming there is a splendid chance for the brainy farmer to exercise his brains to good profit. The young man who is thinking of leaving the farm because he cannot find a ■ wide enough field for the brains he thinks he has, can find in the.cow and her product a field for all the brains he can muster.

6. Because it is a brainy business, where skill plays a great part, is the reason why there are so many failures in it.

7. Good brains are required along the •whole voad, from breeding the cow, managing and feeding her, managing the farm that shall produce her food, taking skilful care of her milk, skilfully making up the product, and skilfully selling it in the end. . i .

Everywheredt is a place for brains and a good use of them. The man who engages in this business and thinks he can get along ■with cheap brains and a cheap use of them had better grow potatoes or mo3t anything else rather than keep cows.