The Portland daily press., 1868-07-18
Butter, Cheese, Cows, Ogdensburg Rail-
road. Sc.

O"Sose, >O"st OSucAnDurk n8le
road, &e.
1t is we'll known to the public, and the con-
sumers have realizing sense of the fact that
butter bears much higher price, even in To-
calities where the most is made, than it did
several years ago. We do not intend to dis
price compared with the cost of producing
over former times, nor whether there is less
proportional production, causing a scarcity
1t is true that the rapid increase of cheese
factories may somewhat reduce the quantity
OF butter. These factories greatly tighten the
burden of the housewife and dairy woman
and have tended largely to the increase of
cheese making. The stopping the free ad-
mission from Canada has also tended to- in
crease the price. But greater cause than
all these may be found in the extravaganza
and prodigality of the people who have been
induced by the redundancy of our currency
to indulge more freely in the consumption of
articles of luxury as well as of necessity.
Some light is thrown upon this subject by
the census report for 1860. In 1850 the num-
Der of mich cows was 6385,094, the
amount of cheese made 105 ,535 1893 pounds;
butter 313, 1906 pounds, averaging about
80 pounds per COW. In 1860 the number of
cows increased to S,5S1, ,735, the cheese made
decreased to 103 3,535 ,927 pounds, md the
butter increased to 459, ,6s1 1892 pounds, aver
aging or A pounds more per COW. The
probability is, there has not been quite so
l. & Al
has been in past decades. But one thing is
quite certain, farmers will continue to receive
a good price for best butter Tor years to come.
There is not much danger of overstocking
the market with first rate table butter. Ev
cry cows milk does not make good butter;
every pasture does not furnish the right kind
of grass and we are sorry to say, every da.-
rywoman does not know how to make A No.
l butter even ii the cows and pasture are all
that is desirable. There are many drawbacks
and always will be; consequently the first
quality of butter will never exceed the de-
mand for it. Vermont butter has always
bad good name, but we have seen and eat
| en- some made in tnat State which was not
very good. Poor butter is made there as well
as in other States. There is some butter
made in Maine quite as good as that made
among the Green Mountains. There are
many localities in our State where the pas
lures are excellent and as good butter can be
made as in any other part of the world.
We have all heard of the st. Adams butter
market in Vermont. And much excellent
butter is brought to that market. When the
Ogdensburg Railroad through the Notch
shall have been finished, we expect to see
tons of butter come directly to our market
from Vermont. The editor OF the New
England Homestead, a new agricultural pa
per published at Springfield, has recently Wis
tied ST. Adams, and gives his readers some
statistics about butter. He says the sales OF
a single day often amount to $4,000 or $780,
900, and for year on both butter and cheese
not less than million and half OF dollars
For seventeen years since the railroad was
was opened through to Boston, there has
been shipped from st. Adams to Boston 49,
941 ,123 pounds Of butter and 1S,435 ,94f
pounds OF cheese. Reckoning these products
at 80 cents tor butter and II cents for cheese
we have the large amount in round numbers
of fourteen million of dollars. And nearly
all this is the product of Franklin county
alone, although before tie reciprocity treaty
was abrogated in 1865, some Of it came from
the border towns in Canada.
Now let ms see how many towns Frank
lin county coutains and glance at its geo
graphical position. This county contains
only fifteen towns, bounded ON the north b,
Canada, and on the west by lake Champlain
The Missisquoi river, taking its rise in Can
ada runs through it westerly and falls into
Champlain lake. This valley contains
much fertile land and the farmers improve
it to the best advantage. The ogdensburs
railroad will OPEN an avenue to this valley a
well as to the Lamoile region, and othe
places of importance on the route, and Port
land would Immediately feel the salutar
effects A new impulse would be given t
trade, and such an impulse as some of on