The Portland daily press., 1881-03-04
The Dairy Industry.

The magnitude of the dairy industry in
this country is shown by statistics compiled
by Mr.. Geo. P. Lord, of Elgin. He esti-
mates the number of mich cows in the
United States al over 100000, requiring
the annual product of 100000 acres Of
land for feed, giving employment to $4,000
men, and requiring the labor of S6S,O0O
horses. Estimating the cows at $50 each,
the horses $50, and the land at $50 per acre,
together with 5000, 5000 for agricultural
and dairy implements, aud the total amount
invested in the industry is $2,2l9, 1928, 900.
This is considerably more than the amount
invested in banking and the commercial and
manufacturing interests of the country,
which is $1,000, 1854 $3.50. The cattle and
horses require two tons of hay each annual
ly, or its equivalent.
If 1t is estimated that 100000 cows are
fed with grain for winter dairying, and that
the horses daily require six quarts of oats or
corn during the year, theyw consume 49,
$500 tons of hay, S4,3S0,O00 bushels of
corn meal, s., 10000 bushels of oat meal,
100000 tons of bran, 1000, 900 bushels of
corn and 100000, 900 bushels of oats, a total
value of 1884, 450, 400. To this should be
added the labor of 100000 persons, at 500
month, 156,000,000, making the annual val
lie of S504, 459, 400, or an average of $3.50
per COW.
Accepting twelve cents per gallon as a ba-
sis for computing the value of the milk pro-
duct, and 446 gallons as the average per an
mum this being the average yield in sixteen
States in 1861, the 3,000, 900 cows produce
annually 5,793, 100000 gallons of milk worth
$685., 100000 Analysis shows that 81 lbs of
meat contains the same kind and amount of
The total weight Of product is so, 1872, GOO, 900
lbs, equal to Il, 495, 200, 900 lbs. of homeless
beef.
About so per cent of the fat steer is bone
less meat, so that it will require 2O,65O, 900
steers of ], 400 lbs. weight to produce the
same amount of nutrition as the annual
milk product. Such fat steers would sell at
$3.50 per cwt., or 1858 each-a total of ST.
300,95O, 600; deducting from this amount,
hide and tallow, $3.50, 100000, leaves the
meat value 81, GAO, 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 24c.
per gallon is equivalent in value to homeless
beef at &c. per h." 1t is false economy,
therefore, that substitutes meat for milk as
an article of food.
The same authority (Willard) states tina
50 per cent of the milk is used in making
cheese and butter, and Al FER cent. is con-
sumed in liquid state. The department of
agriculture estimates there are 1000, OOO, 900
lbs of butter and 300,O0O,O0O lbs of cheese
made annually in the United States At ~
lbs of milk for Id. of butter, and 81 lbs. for
Id. of cheese, the total amount of milk
used would be 2S,950,0OO,0OO lbs; add Al
per cent. of the product for consumption,
the total production is 6O,725, 1926, 900 lbs.
within small fraction of per cent. of the
estimate made. The caseine in the milk
used for making butter, if utilized for cheese
would produce annually 1900, 100000 lbs. :;
and besides, there is annually run off in the
skinned milk, butter-milk and whey, 20O,-
100000 lbs. of milk sugar, which, if saved,
entire annual sugar crop of Cuba.-Prairie
Farmer.