The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-03-07
BUTTER AND CHEESE,
KANSAS

SO19oCeOu 4kunOkD-1n0
Correspondence Mexico (Mo.) Intelligencer.
l have recently returned from q tril
to Northern Illinois, where, am0n}
other objects of interest, I visited 1
county devoted chiefly to the production
Of butter and cheese. I was 80 thor
oughly impressed with the idea that thi.
was Just the business for our farmers
as we'll as to the interest of our town
that concluded then and there to make
the effort, upon my arrival at home, te
impress our farmers with this fact.
The factories which visited are
located in town of about 1000 inhab.
itan.s. The lands adjacent to the town
are, like ours, best adapted to the pro.
duction of corn, oats and grass, hut not
SO good grass lands as ours. The mum.
Der Of cows kept by each farmer is linn.
tied only by the capacity of the farm to
sustain them. No other stock, except
work horses and few pigs, are kept.
The pigs are fed upon the whey which
the farmer gets free of charge from the
factory. All the grain, hay and pasture
produced upon the farm is consumed by
the stock on it. I was shown through
one of the largest of these factories by a
gentleman who explained the business
to me. 1t would, however, consume
too much of your space to enter into de.
tails.
The factories are owned and operated
by persons skilled in the business, and
the farmers sell their milk to the fac
tory men at SO much per pound, deliv.
cred at the factory every morning. We
visited the factory about nine O'Clock in
the forenoon, and as we approached the
neighborhood of the establishment long
trains of sleighs could be seen coming
in on all the principal streets loaded
down with milk cans, and in front OF
tina factory number mad halted await
ing their turn to unload. Twas told
that about one hundred farmers come in
every morning with milk; that each
one kept from 10 to 100 COWS, and that
each cow yields from $40 to $50 worth
OF milk annually, at the present low
prices.
Twas shown through the establish.
ment, but can not undertake to explain
its interior. 1t was on q large scale,
very complete in all parts, and as clean
and neat as the best kept dairy. The
butter-making was the most interesting
department to me. was astonished
both at the amount and quality of the
butter. Some of our lady friends can
make good butter, but the factory beats
them badly. This butter brings
CSC per pound now at wholesale.
That the farmers were much more
prosperous than before they embarked
in n opd fbaf tho Land ,,rln, <b:, ,,,,
tenn was becoming more productive ev-
cry year, are facts which 1 do not doubt,
for the evidences of thrift were to be
seen in every direction. The farms are
in splendid condition; the dwellings,
and barns large, and even elegant. We
took sleigh-ride of eight or ten miles
in the country, and the only stock
saw, except work horses, were COWS
nothing but cows. The farm hands
seemed to be engaged chiefly in feeding
these animals and hauling out manure.
Piles of the latter could be seen over
many fields and in the barn-yards. The
least valuable tract of land we passed
during this drive was recently sold for
$50 per acre; another tract, without
any improvements except fencing, was
told, sold for $40 per acre to a farmer
whose lands it adjoined. The average
price of lands, L was informed, is now $40
to $50 per acre; and these lands are no
better, If as good, as ours, certainly not
so good for grass, while the farmer Ia
bors under the additional expense of
having to feed much longer than we do.
The community about which am writ
ing is only one of many others in that
part of the State engaged in the same
business. All of which exhibits de-
gree of prosperity most astonishing to
behold in these hard times, and vet
easily understood when investigated.
They have adapted their mode of farm.
ing to the nature of the soil upon which
they live. 1t is not frst-class wheat |
land, and instead of selling their corn,
oats and hay at prices less than the cost |
of production, feed $40 worth of it to a |
COW and get $40 or $50 worth of milk
in return, and enough manure to add 10
per cent. annually to the producing
qualities of the soil. Moreover, it gives
regular employment to farm hands, and
that which is still better, q daily cash
income of from 50 to 500 to each farmer,
he amount depending upon the number
Of COWS he keeps.
Now, Mr.. Editor, believe that If our
people can be induced to engage in this
business they will find that in five years
rom the day it is inaugurated their
ands will be worth from $50 to $40
Der acre, even on the silver and gold
,asis. Our farmers would then have
product that would sell every week in
he year and bring the cash, and much
more of it than is now Realized on the
anne amount of land. Estimated by
he income realized by these farms. that
5 $40 to $50 to the COW, and this is the
owest sum realized any year since they
ave been in the business, ten cows
you'd yield from $500 to $500, 20 COWS
rom $500 to 81, COO, so cows $4,000 to
8, 500, and 100 cows from $4,000 to
1000. This is just what 1 was told
hese people are doing. One gentleman,
hose farm saw, keeps 100 COWS. He
as 400 acres of land. This is the larg-
st farm saw during our ride. The
lost of the farms contain from 50 to
20 acres. The advantage to the farm
nd also to the town of q regular cash
lcome realized daily 10 all the farms in
he community can not be overestimat- {
/. 1t would enable the merchant and
,e farmer to conduct business upon the
ash principle. 1t would infuse new
fe and energy into every department
/ business. The farm would soon take !
a air of thrift, prosperity and beauty
hich it can never have at the prices of {
~ at $3 per ton and corn at 20 cents
ar bushel. The merchants. bankers
I'd other business men in Mexico
light, If each would subscribe small .
IN, organize q company to mauufac-