The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-07-15
AaR1uuITURAL MISCELLANY.
DAIRY FARMING AND CuEEsE-MAKINe

The dairy has, perhaps, made more
rapid progress Of late than any branch
Of agriculture that can be named.
|" There is no farm indus
try that has been so well organized.
The CO. operative factories extend In
almost unbroken line from Maine to
California they can scarcely num-
Der less to-day than 5000, each FAC
tory sweeping a circle of influence on
o radius Of from two to three miles.
and through which many thousands
of dairymen are held by strong Pc
cuniary bonds. cannot better illus
trate the magnitude of the associated
system than by referring to its oper-
alton in the State of Now York. In
1874 New York had 1,13o Of these
cooperative factories, at which more
than $4,000 farmers were delivering
the milk of 308,352 cows. AS the
factories of New York have been
considerably increased since 1874. it
is estimated that at least sc, 1000 farm
ers and 30. 900 farms are now identi-
fled with this interest. For the last
twenty years, or up to 1879, dairying
Of all kinds has beer very remunera-
tive; in fact, so uniform have been
its profits that the gains could be cal
culated with great accuracy and GER
tainty months in advance of the crop.
We had a foreign market for all our
surplus our goods were wanted at
fair prices by one Of the wealthiest
nations on the globe. England i'm
ports annually of butter and cheese
to the value Of $75, OOO. 900. English
merchants assured us they could dis
pose of an unlimited quantity of our
cheese ut fair prices, providing it
had plenty of quality; and so we
sailed on in fancied security. There
are many dairymen in the Eastern
and Middle States who complain that
no money has been made in dairying
at last summers prices, and they
doubtless speak the truth from a
standpoint of their own experience,
but cannot believe it is necessarily
40. It is a humiliating thing to &C.
knowledge, and is a fact susceptible
of proof, that the mass of dairymen
have not improved the milking quail
ties of their herds during a long
period of high prices, but on the
other hand they have allowed their
herds to depreciate in this particular
by using refuse cattle from dr0ves,
rather than in breeding stock on the
farm. When cheese brings Is to 20
cents per pound, and butter from 40
to so cents, cows that. yield 300
pounds Of cheese or 1U8 pounds Of
butter per year are supposed to turn
some profit. but when prices fall to
this years rates it is found that these
inferior herds do not pay expenses.
Now. this is the condition of things
largely prevailing in the East, and
the whole system must be changed or
the poor cow dairyman will be obliged
to drop out of the business or 60 to
the wall. But If we assume that a
herd can be made to yield 900 pounds
Of cheese or 300 pounds of butter per
cow. cheese at cents and butter at
20 cents have not so discOuraging a
look 300 pounds Of butter at 20
cents is 500; 100 pounds at so cents
but $50. That we have home mar
ket, the best in the world. is shown in
the enormous consumption of butter.
Our annual butter product has been
variously estimated at from 1000.
100000 to l.400. 100000 of pounds,
nearly the whole of which is con.
sumed at home. Had the proper
styles and qualities of cheese been
put upon the home markets, our peo-
pie would have become so educated
in its use that nearly the whole make,
It is believed, would now be required
for home consumptiOn.-From The
parry, lts Prefts and Prospects, By Hon.
x. A. Willard.