Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-07-23
iSarn Copies.
OUR DAIRY INDUSTRY.

| nous from all parts OF the country.
Relief is being sought in the bill now
pending in Congress to tax imitation but
ter and the manufacturers and dealers in
this article. May not this bill be due to
an error in the diagnosis of the case:
Very much has been said and written
in favor of mixed husbandry; but is
not the dairy industry, especially that
which at present is in 50 suffering con-
dition, conducted against the principles of
mixed husbandry? And are not the pres
ent sutlerings largely the result of hay
ing, as the phrase is. all our eggs in one
basket?
Although the price, of our dairy pro-
duets are low, they are by no means eN-
ceptionallv 50. Wheat corn, flour, SUI
gar, lard, pork, beef and many other ag-
ricultural products are. and of late have
been. phenomenally low.
The number of milch cows in the coun-
try to-day shows that for the past TWEEN
ty years there has been "A steady and uni
form increase. while the average price
per head has suffered great tluctuation,
attaining its minimum in 1879 and from
then to lSS4 (thc last official date of the
Agricultural Department. steadily in
creaSing. so that in 1854. the average
price per head of milch cows was higher
than at any time since 1872. And it will
hc found also that mich COWS are by no
means exceptional. since all other farm
animals. as horses, mules and oxen, have
huCtuatcd in value since 1870 almost eX-
actlv in proportion to milch COWS, each
of them decreasing continually in price
from 1870 to 1879. and since then each of
them continually increasing in value un
til 1854.
But there i, aS think, an explanation
of the present depressed condition of our
dairy industry which has nothing to do
with the manufacture and sale of cleo
margarine. huttcrine. and similar artiti
cial buffers; and the explanation, while
sufficient. suggests the remedy.
Mr.. Hatch. the chairman of the House
committee on agriculture. stated that
!
year 300. 900 milch COWS. and he used this
a. an evidence to show how seriously de
pressed was the dairy industry and how
great was the need of the "Scott bill" or
similar legislation to protect the dairy
men by placing a heavy tax upon the
manufacturers and dealers in oleomar-
garinc.
am sorry to see that later testimony
given before the Senate committee ON az
ricuture by stock dealers of Chicago goes
: to prove that but IA small portion of these
300, 600 were in any sense really with
drawn from the diaries of the West, or
could fairly be rated as milch COWS.
regret this. and, in the interests of the
dairy wish that. instead of 100000. there
might annually be selected from the dai-
rieS of the country at least 3.OOO.OOt
l mich cows. which should be sent to the
slaughter houses for whatever they
: might bring, even should their price not
: average over dollar a head, provided
only that something approXimating jul
dicious selection should be made of sucl
COWS "a were thus TO be slaughtered.
| believe that nothing would ne o.
greater value to our dairy interests, anC
f for the following reasons:
Il Mr.. Edward j. Wickson. in an addres,
Il on ''The Future of Dairying," said; .
d have authentic reports from 80 chees,
n factories and creameries located in wide
r " different localities, giving the average
I net returns per COW to patrons. the high
: est average per COW to a single patron
u and the lowest average per COW to Il sin
l. gle patron. The figures are drawn from
: the actual records of the yields of NOR
e than $4,000 cows. The average yield pc
l. COW was S39.57. In the individual fac
NJ tories the highest average per COW wa
Sc S55.01, and the lowest per COW S3l %
% OF the diaries sending milk to the facto
: ries. the best seasons average per coy
, was SS2.l7. and the average of the high
,r est diaries was S5O.O4. The lowest yiel
N in single dairy was Sl4.j0 average mon
H. ey to COW. and the average of the poor
W est diaries was $29.34 per cow"
+ The above results will not, think, b
ID regarded as exceptional by any one ia
il mliar with dairy statistics. But it wi
al be seen that the average for the best da
Or ry was 4G7 per cent greater than for tn
: poorest; and the average for the be-
= half of all the diaries was above 20 pc
Id cent better than the average for the poo
Mt er half. While this may have been a VI
e +; ry profitable business for the dairyme
IL of the better half, it is quite likely thu
:, there was either little or no profit, if NJ
ly actual loss, to those whose diaries b,
al lOnged to the poorer class. These ditie
~ ences are very largely due to the chara,
ld ter of the animals of the several dairie
y and to other causes, largely if not who
ly within the control of the dairyme