The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-01-23
CHEEsE-ITs PRoDUCr AND PRICE.

CHEEsE-ITS PRODUCT AND PRICE.
In an address delivered before the
American agricultural society, in New
York, on the 18th inst, Prof. H. A. Will
lard, of Herkimer county, discussing the
dairy interest, said:
For the last twenty years, or up to
1879, daIrying of all kinds had been very
remunerative; in fact, so uniform had
been its profits that the gains could be
calculated with great accuracy and GER
talnty months in advance of the crop.
We had a foreign market for all our sur
plus; our goods were wanted at fair
prices by one of the wealthiest nations
on the globe. England imports annual
ly of butter and cheese to the value of
$45,0OO,O0O English merchants assured
us they could dispose of an unlimited
quantity of our cheese at fair prices, pro-
viding 1t had plenty of quality; and so
We sailed on in fancied security
Near the close of 1878, however, it be-
came evident that the American surplus
together with the English production
had reached the limits of ordinary con-
sumption. 1t may be well to more
clearly define this in figures: The an
nual consumption of cheese in England,
as stated by Morton and other statisti-
clans, is 504 100000 pounds. The
British make has been estimated at 3I2.-
DOC, 600 pounds, and is now, according to
Prof. Sheldon, 2S2, O00, 600 pounds, leav-
ing 222, 100000 pounds as the annual
amount required 10 fill the English de
mand for free consumption.
Now, let us see how nearly this has
been reached. For the year ending De
cember 81, 1873, our cheese exports, the
largest ever made, amounted to 134 I000,-
600 pounds, while the Canadian exports
during the same time were about Al ,000,-
600 pounds. The import OF cheese into
England from Holland, and other coun-
tries on the continent, as stated by Shell
don, is not far from 64,000,000 pounds,
and these three items foot up go
OOO pounds, or 100000 pounds more
than is ordinarily required in Britain
fer a free consumption.
| with these figures before US, il became
! plainly evident year ago that the sur
plus cheese of 1878 carried over to the
spring of 1870 must sell at low prices,
making loss to holders; and, moreover,
that the crop of 1873, at the usual rate of
production, must of necessity sell at low
| prices. The facts have justified these
conclusions, for it was only in Septem-
Der of this year (lS79), when it became
| known the product was short both at
home and abroad, that prices began to
| advance.
sit is now estimated that the make of
English cheese, owing to the bad season,
is one quarter less than that of 1873; a
! decrease of 10000 pounds. The Ameri-
can and Canadian crop, it is believed,
will fall short 50,OO0,O 900 pounds from
| that OF 1878. If these figures are
anywhere near the mark, there is good
reason for the recent advance in prices,
since our exports will not. be equal to
the quantity required for British con.
sumption. How far prices may be
forced up is problem of no easy solu-
ton, because high rates check consump-
ton, other foods taking the place of
cheese, especially with the work people
and poorer classes, who are obliged to
economiZe in their living. On the 10th
of November, American bacon, in Lon
don, was twenty shillings, sterling, less
per cwt. than the best American cheese
and ten shillings less than the poorer
sorts. We could not expect those classes
that can indulge in only one kind of ami
NAL food to substitute cheese for bacon. ~
AS to the future course of prices, the
! speaker went on to analyze the situation
and held that producers could hardly ex
pect to market the cheese crop of 1886
much if any above cents pound; but
even at this-if it can be secured, OF
something near it, as permanent aver
age price-he held would give the dairy
men fair profit, and they need by nc
means be discouraged. He may be right
in this. But If the producer can live al
that figure it would seem that the con
sumner certainly could. Yet we may ado
that it is time all should take the warn
ing. There is very little probability
that our current prices for agricultural
productions will continue many years
Providence will not always send good
crops here and famine abroad. Besides
the immense tracts of new land Eow be
ing brought u2der cultivation may teach
us something about over production tina
all have not yet learned.