The New York herald., 1878-12-04
THE DAIRY FAIR.

| AN ADDRESS BY GENERAL BENJAMIN f. BUTLER
ON DAIRY FARMING ON A SMALL. SCALE
SUCCESS OF THE EXHIBITION.
The interest taken in the Dairy Fair, now open at
the American Institute building far exceeds the best
hopes of its promoters. Yesterday between
two thousand and two thousand ive hun
dred persons visited the Rink to watch the
processes through which milk goes the
road to butter and cheese The Alpha and Omega of
dairy industry here open to view. On hand
you see the hay in bales and cow few feet distant
gentleman invites you to taste bitter the
suit of the aforesaid hay through the agency of
Aderney Jersey COW. The display
Of blooded cattle is in itself show
worthy of inspection. and the mechanical
process through which milk is made into
butter cheese curious to behold. The cheese,
in truth, is feartully and wonderfully made. and
those who doubt may go and see for themselves. Ex-
Governor Seymour was in attendance ut the fair last
night and no more delighted than he to see
the great crowd that filled the vast enclosure. He
was an attentive listener to General Benjamin Z.
Butler who was the speaker of the evening.
GENERAL BuTLERs SPEECH.
When the General introduced he was warmly
greeted. and the applause having subsidized he said
that the coming together of international dairy
fair in the metropolitan city of tho United States
would but few years ago have been deemed to be a
meeting of those representing q small class of
agricultural industries. The estimate might then
have been correct. but to-day the fair rep
resented one OF the greatest industries
of the States. 1t was amazing. he said,
to consider that nearly $3.50 10000 worth Of butter
and cheese had been produced in America during the
last year. Wonderments ceased when one learned
that this production was one-seventh more valuable
Ia " heat Il vail hlo
than the cotton crop. The wealth OF the country in
live stock could be inferred when it known that
it required mich COW to supply the wants of every
five inhabitants The forty millions Of Ameri-
cans. to say nothing Of the hundreds Of thousands
OF foreigners who supplied from this market.
qured the of vast hocks. Referring the fig
concerning the relative value of the wheat and
I'VE speak hippantly of our capacity to supply the
world with breadstuffs True, we have the capacity
SO to do, but it Is lamentaby true that we do
prairie will not be little astonshed to learn the fact
that the Republic of France. with such the
State OF Texas raises more wheat in quantity than
the United States Of America all told SO far from
supplying the markets of the world with wheat
in the year 1867 sent to England only 100000
hundred weight of wheat about 50 900 in value
while France exported to England $11OO0,0O0 worth
Of butter alone to spread bread made OF wheat
A PLEA FOR SMALL FARMS.
Again, to go back to the year 1860 where only
get accurate statistics Of the products Of the
United States and the products of France, let call
your attention to the following remarkable, but
liable statistics Of French agriculture France then
our l7o.ooo.oo0; 1O.o0o.oOo bushels Of rye
against 2Ooo0,ooo; 6O.OOo,oO0 bushels
els Of backwheat against our i2ooOoo0 Nor was she
which supposed TO be the necessity requiring
and mules against our 4,25ooOO:, 100000
OF neat cattle against 1s,ooo.OoO;
and Gooo.OoO Of swine against 1s,OOO.Oo0. As
example Of what may be the profits Of the smaller
industries OF farming which by the farmers of the
ted refkO ia an
astonishing fact that in the year 1866 France
exported as much in value of eggs to Eng.
hams. of our chief exports of pro-
visions in 1868 to all the world that is to say, in
ported eggs to the paltry number Of 4l2 dozen. No
man who has not had these figures brought to his
turai productions Of France, both in variety
and amount, can believe that the 3s.OoOOO OF her
nhabtant on ma territory 50 small as to
inhabitant could vie in agricultural productions.
OF all that goes to make up the necessaries of living
and national wealth. saw cotton and tobacco. with
nation like of about the number Of inhab
iants whose territory gives than fifty to
each inhabtant. nearly seventeen times as much
land for cultivation.
REASONS FOR PROSPERITY.
whole af the nonnlation fAccori;ng ~ the istest
Official returns the cultivated land Of France was
divided into 5,55o,ooO distinct properties Of this
total the properties averaging 600 acres num-
bcred $4,000, and those averaging 60 acres
10000, while there 100000 of properties under
have no doubt. arises to the lips of each OF my
auditors, as it came to how these very great
results possible What is the secret +? This may be
told in word 1t is the thorough cultivation Of tho
soil. OF her 1872 100000 OF acres. 64O0O.O0O
arabic; 12.0Op.oo0 only in meadows, or
say, fields and grass; 100000 in
Vineyards 100000 in orchards and gardens
900 in miscellaneous crops; 20.0000O0 in wood
and forest 100000 in ponds; 2oo00o0o only may be
called heath waste lands the remainder being for
roads. public squares canals and pleasure grounds
about 1000, 900 OF Thus It will appear that
twothrds of the entire of France Is under actual
cultivation every year.
GATHERING THE. THREADS or THE ARGUMENT.
However seem to hear some of the enthus-
astic managers of this International Dairy Fair say
ing to himself, his courtesy to the speaker prevent
ing his speaking aloud his thoughts, admitting all
that has been said to be true in favor of farming
general way small farms, how docs it appear
that such division of land is favorable
to the production of butter and cheese 1
pray leave to give fact in TO that England
is the best country that either France the United
States has for those articles and in the year 1876 which
the last reliable statistics which have from which
have been quoting England bought Of butter
$29G5 900 worth and of cheese So S4 900 worth
aggregate of botl articles which may we'll arouse
the pride of the United States. of S15 900 while
England bought of France the year S1s.6T2,oo0
worth of butter You will observe that say nothing
Of the cheese that France sold to England, for the
French farmers far too practical to allow their
to browse around bare pastures until their milk
produces butter but cheese alone; and besides
France cats most of her cheese herself.