The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-30
Ghe G,,telliQt,rter,!:
The MIX nnd But,cr Busiuess,


The MILK Rnd Buticr Business.
Uncle John Sisson, Of the Triadelphia
district, was In town Saturday. Uncle
John IL one Of those farmers who always
take II healthy and cheerful view OF tho az.
licullural situation, and herein he differs
widely from very many other farmers. II
things do not exactly suit him one year he
hopes and expects better luck next year.
Whatever Is is right with him. A healthy
complexion and good natured smile al.
ways rrallate his facc. All this is prelim.
mary 10 snying that Uncle John regards
this Us II magnificent year for the farmer,
IIcspeaks In glowing terms Of the corn md
the bountlinl condition Of the pasture
fields, "Wly, then" We asked, lis butter
10 deal?' "l'ccause hired help is SO scarce
in the country" said he, "and the women
Of the house do not care 10 undergo the
drldyery oI milking and churning." There.
fore the farmers arc keeping fewer cows
than formerly The girls who 80 out for
domestic service prefer 10 come TO town,
bat aH increased number, rs compared
viii, former days, do not 10 out at all.
Their families prefer to have them stay at
home. aw tN
It will bc remembered by some Of our
nNlers that Col. North, OF the Richland
district, made this same observation earlier
in The year, when asked why pasture was
No plentiful and yet butter SO unaturally
scarce and dear. He too gave as
the explanation the difficulty Of getting
eo"l girls in the country any longer, and
ihr reluctance Of farmers wives and dau.
eltcrs to milking and churning beyond the
necessities OF their own households. And
thus it happens that IN extra good year in
Tie way Of abundant pasture witnesses
high price GO to..35 cents) for butter.
Is there II remedy for this state OF things?
The people want butter, but only II limited
number want il at thirty and thirty.iive
cents, |, is with butter as it was with beef,
when the latter was SO high few months
ago. The price seriously curtailed con.
sumption. Tosuch an extent did the con.
sumption hll ollthat with I'm actual diminu.
lion in The supply Of cattle, beef gradually
hceamep plenticr and the price declined. To-
day il is 10 be had at the old price Of "a
shilling pound" or. in palmer words, at
T.! cents.
This decline in meat provides All offset
20 the demand for butter in many house
holds. Lard is wholly used for cooking
purposes by them. Meat takes the place
ot butter And yet, despite this curtailed
lemand for butter, the price Of it still keeps
NJ, and it seems MS ii rich pastures and an
abundance OF hay were not able TO effect a
change, but that We are going into the win
ter season at very high starting point for
one Of the necessities of life. And all be-
'.l''se there is not domestic help enough in
the county TO make butter sufficient TO
mett the demand. s
The contrast between these days and
former days is striking enough. a gener-
a.lon Ego butter WAS supplied. in abund-
ance at6 TO cents per pound, brought to
town Il. that by the women OF the land,
and exchanged for calico ut The rate Of
th'ee pounds Of butter for one yard Of cal
lto. Now tho tables arc completely re-
verse.', and more than reversed, for it
lakes five to six yards OF calico to buy a
pound Of butter. o.a El
We Wepresume that milking and churniug
sere hard work in those days rs in these
i@ter days, and, ii anything, little hard
or, Tor these are the days OF patent cliurns,
incladlng dog churns, and there is now q
patent con,rivance ior squeezing the udders
and exuding the lacteal fluid. But still the
nImber Of dairy maids and matrons dimin-
ishes as it would seem, and per conse-
qnenc1 the number OF cows. What is the
use in cows und nobody to milk them!
Therefore they are fattened for the stall OF
the butcher, and we are forced to utilize
them in II solid instead Of u liquid way. Is
il any wonder that some old-iashioned peo.
PIE speak OF these days Us degenerate days,
and lore 10 contrast them with the days
when the Io,,,.
''Itnys usI to reap aud NOW.
And the girls .it and sew.
lIhl nxewisc milk and churn) 'p9
un the ballks OF the Ohio"
The question arises, have the farmers
pM 81 well oil raisinp sheen mud wool that