The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-10-14
Our Cows and their Value.

It estimated that the number of milk
cows in the United States is over 13,000,-
900, requiring the annual product of 52,-
OOO, 900 acres of land for feed, giving
employment to $50, 900 men, and requir-
in the labor of 100000 horses. Estimat-
ing the COWS at $50 each, the horses $50,
and land at $50 per acre, together with
5000 100000 for agricultural and dairy
implements, and the total amount in
vested in the industry is S7,219, ,2SO, 900.
This is considerably more than the
amount invested in banking and the
commercial and manufacturing interests
of the country, which is 81, 0,964,5S6.
The cattle and horses will require two
tons of hay annually or its equiya-
leat. IF it is estimated that 5000, 900
COWS are fed with grain for winter dairy
ing, and that if the horses eat daily six
quarts of oats or corn during the year,
they will consume 1888, 300 tons Of
hay S4,3S0000 bushels of oat meal, L.
250 900 tons of bran, 30,000,000 bushels
of corn, and 3O0,O0OO00 bushels of oats,
of total value of 1884, ,459, 400. TO this
should be added the labor of $50 900 men
at $40 per month, Sl56,000, 900, making
the annual value of s5O4,450, 400, or an
average of $3.50 per COW. Accepting
IL cents per gallon as basis for comput.
ing the value of the milk product and
446 gallons the average yield per annum
this being the average in sixteen States
in 1860, the 100000 COWS produce an
nually 5,793,000,000 gallons of milk,
worth 1896, 100000. Analysis shows
that 81 pounds of milk contain the
sam kind aud amount of nutrition as l
pound of boneless beef. The total
weight oftbe milk product is 50,732, 900
900 rounds, equal to 14,495, 100000
pounds of boneless beef. About 60 per
cent. of fat steer is boneless meat, so
that it will require 20,65O, 900 steers of
1,4OO pounds weight to produce the
same amount of nutrition asthe annual
milk product. Such fat steers would
sell at $3.50 per cwt., or $63 each-a
total of $1,000, ,95O,000; deducting for
hide and tallow, $3.50, 100, 900, leaves the
meat value 81 ,040, 100000. This gives
the food value of the milk product in the
United States annually. Willard, in
his practical Dairy Husbandry," says
that milk at "a cents per gallon is equiv.
alent in value to boneless beef at 9 cents
per pound. 1t is false economy, there
fore, that substituted meat for milk as an
article of food. The same authority
(Willard) states that so per cent. Of the
milk is used in making cheese and but.
ter, Al per cent. is consumed in liquid
state. The Department Of Agriculture
1877, estimates there are 1,000,000,000
pounds of butter and 00,000,000 pounds
of cheese made annually in the United
States. At 27 pounds of milk for /
pound of butter, and 81 for l pound of
cheese, the total amount of milk used
would be 29, $3.50, 100000; add Al per cent.
of the product for consumption the total
production is 50,752,325,OOO pounds,
within small fraction of l per cent of
the estimate made. The caseine in the
milk used for making butter, if utilized
for cheese, would produce annually
800 100000 pounds, and besides there
is annually run off in the skinned milk,
buttermilk, aud whey 200,000,000 pounds
of milk sugar, which, if saved, would
have market value greater than the
entire annual sugar crop of Cuba.