McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-05-14
DAIRYING In THE WEST.
The Advantages Over Other Parts of the
Country.

| considerable success in central New
York in keeping cows and in making
I, butter and cheese were invited to at
tend the meetings of dairymen's as
sociations in the west, for the purpose
of imparting information. No doubt
they accomplished considerable good
in the matter of affording instruction
in the establishment of butter and
cheese factories and in the sale of
dairy products. In one respect their
speaking had bad effect. Their es-
innate of the capabilities of the west
to produce milk, butter, and cheese
that would compare in excellence with
those produced in york state" was
exceedingly discouraging. Some of
them thought that only inferior articles
would ever be produced on prairie
farms. They declared that it required
somewhat hIlly country to furnish
the grasses that produce the best milk,
and they stated that spring water was
essential TO successful dairying. A
few took rather more hopeful view
of the matter. They expressed the
belief that grasses suitable for the pro-
duction of good milk would sometime
be raised on the prairies They thought,
| however, that one generation of men
would be required to prepare farms
for the occupation of dairying. After
the native prairie sod was reduced,
| drains were cut, and the land kept in
cultivated crops for thirty or forty
years, they thought that, good past
ures of tame grass might be establish
ed and good milk produced. 1t was
well enough to make in the meantime
some butter and cheese for the supply
of local markets, where the patrons
were not very particular, and some of
these inferior dairy products might
find sale in the east at prices much
below those realized by eastern dairy
men. Many who listened to the re-
marks of these "wise men from the
east" abandoned the idea of becoming
dairymen, and others diligently Labor
ed to improve their farms so that their
boys, in a distant future, might make
good butter and cheese. None, or at
least very few, thought that they
could successfully compete with York
state" dairymen in the production of
butter and cheese designed for first
class customers in the great cities of
the country.
1t took but few years to demon
strate the fact that the great prairies
OF the northwest were capable of pro-
ducing as much and as excellent grass
as any territory in the country. In
fact, it was shown that the native
grass OF the prairies furnished
good food for mich cows, and
that the pasture grasses that are in
favor in other places could be intro
duced on prairie sod with very little
difficulty. With good grass and an
abundance of grains, and with the
same breeds OF cows that were kept in
the dairy regions of the eastern states,
there was no trouble in obtaining good |
milk. Skillful hands converted this |
milk into butter and cheese of excel |
lent quality. At several national and |
international fairs butter and cheese |
made in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa
were awarded the highest prizes. A
reputation was gained st home and in |
foreign countries. The proprietors of !
western creameries and cheese fac
tories were proud to put their names
on all the packages they sent out.
They established boards of trade in
all the large towns which were dairy |
centers, and caused the wholesale |
dealers in butter and cheese to attend |
them in order to obtain goods to sell !
again. They saved the margin long !
allowed commission merchants, abol- |
lshed the credit system in disposing of !
dairy products, and adopted sound
business rules.
The prospect for dairying in the /
states and territories composing the .
northwest are now excellent. This |
portion of the country enjoys ad-
for dairying not possessed !
elsewhere. 1t is an excellent country
for producing grass, which is the food
chiefly relied on for making milk The
fertility of the soil mas not been ex-
hausted by the continuous production
of grain, hops, and tobacco, as is the
case in many parts of the east. Corn
and all the smaller grains are chiefly
raised. No commercial fertilizers are
required in order to produce large
crops. 1t is easier and cheaper to col
lect herds OF dairy cows in the west
than in the east. The production of
bSSi y.
Parties purchasing or raising animals
to fatten prefer steers, and cows can
readily be obtained for dairy purposes.
The facilities for marketing western
dairy products are now almost every
thing that could be desired. There is
an extensive local market Butter and
cheese are in constant demand to sup
ply mining towns in the distant west
and lumber-camps in the north. Sew
eral times during the past few years
the complaint has been made by east
ern dairymen that butter and cheese
were carried from Iowa to Boston
cheaper than from Vermont. Trans
portation companies now contract
to deliver western dairy prod
ucts in Liverpool and Glasgow at
rates that were not anticipated few
years ago.
In many places capital is necessary
to develop the dairy interest in the
west. The farmers have no money to
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