The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-02-01


s Society mt large rcjoiccs in his detcl
: mination. All of its forces are within
: To enlist i'm his service if he VII but a,
= ccpt their aid. The composite chara,
l ter of this Convention attcsts the trut
r of this last statement.
\ vast deal has the farmer learnc
{ since this organization first entered up
on its work in his behalf.
lie has learned that he must brca
out of his isolation and rub against hi
fellows; that mankind brighten i'm pro
portion us they have contact with cacl
other. He has learned that he mus
establish schools for himself us well a
. for his children. In Il word. he is feel
ing the necessity tn provide for an eX
pansion of his intellect as well as hi
barns.
Ii is the enlargement of his under
standing that will give him the rightfi
portion of the labor of his hands, --hi
rightful place in the control of govern
ment, Ibis rightful share of the socia
and educational privileges of his da,
and age.
The time has past when the hands
are To he considered the ruling facto
in agricultural accomplishment Til,
brain is the great force of to-day. tn,
farmer of these times may. il ne will
become the true prince of the soil. IN.
his home the best exponent of Amcri
can civilization. Surrounded by hi
children, he can Law the foundation il
himself and them, for Il splendid man
hood.
The demand of the times is impcr,
tive for larger Drained farmers Tn,
best talent of the farm drifts into tn,
professional and commercial GLASSES
These have their schools for the pro
motion of knowledge. The t;trncl
mus, initiate their example. and step {,
the front in this particular, where Ii,
has Il right Ia stand.
For this purpose, and Ia further sicl
ends, have We met in convention. tn,
Importance of dairy and stock i;,rmin.
To the well being of community is in.
Dictated by the fact that hundreds of tn,
representative dairymcn of the cntir,
northwest are gathered here, each will
ing to contribute To the uphuilding al
an enlightened understanding. of tn,
question.
We have right. and il is our duty in
these conventions, Ia take broad ground
in the scope of our discussions. W,
are here Ia consider alone the mere
technical details of dairy management
But We must reach out to the ele.
, mcnt that make up the home life of the
farmer. We must bring encourage.
mcnt to the boys as well Ms to the faith,
crs: To the weary wives as we'll as to the
: husbands.
PRESENT CONDITION or DAIRYING.
The season Of 1883 has proved fairly
prosperous one for dairymen.
Through the extension of the gather
ed cream system, very many new com
7 munities are brought into line, and the
milk of thousands of cows rescued from
an ignominous fate. There is a large
class of farmers that view all this with
! alarm. They have been waiting for ten
| years for the dairy business To- fail.
| They have been fearful all the time
that the business would be ovcrdonc,
| forgetting that if every man in the
northwest could b. any chance next
season suddenly become a skillful dali
ryman, it would not add one COW To the
present number. Skilltul care and
Infringement would no doubt Increase
the protitablcncSS of every cow brought
under such an influence. Ii Is about
time that the honest milk was rescued
from the Pogram makers and BaScom
vendors ut crossroads, and for the profit
of the country given fair show for
what there Is in it,
But there will vet remain ignorance
and slovcnlircSs enough in the land for
Il long time To give intelligence all the
advantage il deserves. The only phase
of the dairy business that l. seriously
ovcrdonc. and that continually. j. the
making of poor butter and cheese.
You have seen for the last Is Years
steady appreciation in the value of fine
dairy goods. There is Il principle in
this, gentlemen. Ii teaches that our
only salvation lies i'll upholding and in
crcasing the standard of excellence.
Common farm butter has the same. old
look, the same smell, the same abused,
banged and dishcartened appearance
that 1t had 20 years ago, and il brings
about the same price. Skim cheese Is
the saline fraud on human digestion that
il ever was--ha- the same diScouraging
effect on consumption and depressing
effect on price. 1t points the same old
moral that il ever did, What God has
joined together let no man put asun-
der" The makers of fine goods need
have no fears of the future.
IEOD'tIl''N FOX 1870.
1t is curious and Instructive fact a.
shown by til" last census, that the ratio
of increase in cows il considerably less
than that of population. This may ac-
count III a measure for the fact that the
demand for dairy products has been,
for Il number of years. greater than the
supply. The same fact affords also
good guarantee of the future stability of
the business, providing that bogus COM
pounds are not allowed 10 usurp the
place of the honest product of the COW.
Left to natural condition of thing, the
dairyman need have no fears of the
lack of a remuuerative market in the
future. He should remember, howev-
er, that if he allows himself TO be driv
en- from the field, either through his
supinenese, or lack of conformity to the
market demand for excellence, he does
not deserve any better fate.
In 1880 the state of Minnesota con-
tanned 275, A5 cows. Her increase for
the ten years previous had been at the
rate Of l. Ito per cent. annually.
Measured by the same rate of increase
the State would have in 1883 375, 567
cows. Allowing the product of each
COW Was worth 50, the gross product
would reach the sum of Sl3, ,S45.
Iowa contained in 1880 S54, iS7 cows.
Her annual per centage of increase for
the previous decade had been Is lilo
per cent. This ratio would give the
State in 1888 ,lS9, SS2 cows, whose earn
ings at S}5 each, would reach the sum
of Sil $3.50. Illinois contained in
| 1850 S65,9l3 cows. The annual per
centage of increase had been only -
per cent. Applying this ratio she
would have in 1888 9j6, 1888 COWS, whose
average earnings would amount to So, =
4S9,l5
Wisconsin contained in 1890 1880
cows. Her annual per centage of in
crease had been - per cent. which
ratio applied for 1888 would give her
So $40. At S35 each their earnings
would represent $40 ,5O5, $50. The gross
earnings Of al the cows of these four
northwestern states for 1888, reaches
the enormous sum of Sl07 1885,, 720.
By this It can readily be seen, gentle
men, that the interest you represent
has reached magnitude that calls 70,
the very wisest administration. The
time has come when so great an inter
est should receive all the aid that spec
ial education can give. Further, II
should be fostcred and protected By the
legislation Of these states.
i MISTAKES.
\ general survey of the question dis
closes not only much that encourage;
us, but also very many mistakes. i
seems to be very difficult task to react
a large proportion of the milk produc
ers of the northwest, and get them t.
adopt the standard ideas Of the day ir
dairying. They are not dairymen
they have but little real pride in TIA.
! business, and what il worse, they vii
expend neither money nor time to learr
better. Not one in hundred of thu
patrons of the cheese factories anC
creameries of the northwest ever attend