The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-01-08
THE PAST AND PRESENT OF
DAIRYING IN MINNESOTA.
Delivered by II. G. Howard. Assistant
Dairy Commissioner of the State. at
the Fifth Annual Meeting Of the
State Butter. Cheese and Dairy
Stock Association Mt Red
Wing. Dec. 10 and IL.

able. | have noticed but q few of the
most prominent features and trust | will
not try your p~atience in their considera-
ton.
1t is but a few years since all OF the
great and growing State OF Minnesota
was under the exclusive control OF the
Indian. 1t is but a little more tina
thirty years since the first farms were
cultivated, but the major portion OF the
State has been settled and improved
during the past twenty-five years. Al.
though we are roung IN years, we are OLD
in experience. The personal history OF
the early settler of Minnesota would
read like Il romance, an Interesting story
of adventure and peril, hardshlPs ana
priyation, hopes and disappolntmenis.
II you could look back to the lime when
the State was being settled you would
see the sturdy pioneer drive II yoke Of
oxen or pair of horses, attached to a
prairie schooner in which were loaded
all his earthly possessions, on top would
be seated his wife and children, trailing
along IN the rear would 0e found n or
two cows, poor ill-ied creatures, often
times minus their caudal appendage,
| that useful member having been lett IN
possession of the dog back in Wisconsin.
The pioneer gave but little thought to
his COW. She was Il sort of n necessary
evil to him To furnish milk for his iami-
", and in his dreams of future success,
of the good time coming when he would
own a section or more Of lame with Il big
red barn and a cupoia with q golden
rooster perched on top, together with
plenty of horses and carriages and men
Ia care for them, the part that the old
COW might take in bringing about such
results was not considered. His plan
was 10 get rich 10y raising wheat. Push
| ing on TO the front line OF settlement he
elected his future home, aud at once
commenced turning up the black soil.
In the meantime his family living III the
covered wagon or tent, slrrouuded al
night by wolves whose dismal n pro-
longed nowles made sleep next to i'm
possible, and during the day visited by
the noble red man, who would beg for
everything he saw and steal all that he
was refused, unless lhe man of the place
quit work and kept Il vigil over him un-
tl he took his departure. The Indian
massacre of 1862 occurred before there
were many farm houses or barns built,
sweeping the frontier with lire and
death, brutality numbering . D men,
women and children, destroying nearly
all the crops and other property tina,
represented hundreds of thousands OF
dollars, creating Il panic and stampede
of settlers. which extended from the
boundry line of Dakota 10 the Mississ'
ippi river. For a period of two years
the bands of rowing Indians ravaged the
frontier, and when AT last expelled and
the farmer was congratulating himself
ON peaceful times with Il prospect of a
good crop, the grasshoppers swept down
in clouds devouring eeery head OF wheat
they found. After working untold de
%struction, they deposited in mother
Earth that wonderful incubator for the
festive hopper, countless millions OF
eggs, which were in the spring following
Matched, ana another crop Of grain de-
stroyed. After the disappearance of the
grasshoppers and good crops of grain
were raised the price was so low as IL
hardly pay the wages of those hired 10
harvest IL.
During all these years of grasslIop-
pers and low-priced cereals, the old COW
had been attending assiduously TO bust
ness at her end of the line. The bur
densome hopper could not deyour the
calves, neither could they eat all the
grass grown on our broad, fertile pgai-
ries, and thus the farmer began to real
lze that he had made a mistake in his
estimate of the value of his cow.
He saw his heard of cattle increasing
from year to year without much effort
on his part. In some localities butter
was made in excess OF home consump-
ton. Small tin pans were USED to hold
the milk. When sour the cream was
removed and allowed to stand Il week
or more, then pounded in a dash churn
until "gathered;' 1t was then worked
and sailed, without weighing, packed
in a jar or tub, and after standing from
one To four months it was sold. That
was called in those days good bntter,
and the description as above given, the
correct way for its manufacture. But
the same quality of goods placed on the
market to-day would be rated low down
III grade. We have been attending
school since that time.
1t was not long after the time referred
TOT that an increased interest was taken
in dairy matters. The state dairy socie-
" was organized, and under President
Fowler held several meetings. In 1881
the minnesota Butter and Cheese. AS
soc;ation" was organized at Rochester,
with G. +. Marvin, President and w. c.
Rice, Secretary. The convention that
followed was IL grand success. h most
noted daiIymen of the Northwest were
present, and during the three days ses-
sion the interest i'll no wise tagged. The
capabilities of Minnesota as a DAIRY state
was proved beyond a doubt. The vet
eran dairyman, Col. Littler, said, "that
if one-half he had heard in that meeting
regarding the superiority of Minnesota
rs a dairy country was true, he would
feel that Iowa was In danger of losing
her laurels us the leading dairy state OF
the West" The people were enthused.
Every man went home feeling that Il
new era was beginning to dawn upon
the farmers of our state. The newspa-
pers devoted columns, and able editor
ials were written, exaltIng the adyan-
tages of stock and dairying W wheat
raising within Minnesota. The people
had lost faith in wheat raising the more
land they broke, the more acres they
sowed, the larger grew their indebted
ness. They were ready for a change.
More dairy conceptions were held IN
1882. The Northwest Dairymen's As
socIation" held its annual meeting at
Mankato. The hail where the ASsocia-
ton convened "A not OF sufficient size
to accommodate all who attended,
Thousands of farmers went home from
these conventions with a better know
lCtSC vi III "" III hS SoDibiiitiS5t
than had been possessed by his whole
township previous to that time. Cream
cries were built i'm all directions; private
dairies improved their surroundings;
everybody had an ambition TO make
git edge" butter. The quality of our
butter was much improved by practical
information which the farmers received
at the ~dairymen's~ conventions, and the
feeding of clover.
A prominent dairyman at Mankato
remarked that he learned something
new at every dairy convention. At one
he recently attended he learned that
hay wa first discovered at st. PAUL in
1870. While he made the observation
in a somewhat humorous vein it would
have been almost literally true had he
said "clover hay"
Previousto the year 1870 all were in
grave doubt as 10 the possibility of rails
ing clover in Minnesota. The majority
went still farther, and claimed that the
wild grasses were better than any tame
hay grown. \ few farmers tired clover
and had fair success. but its reputation
years, when the advertising of the dairy
interest has caused il TO be sown on
every farm in Southern Minnesota.
With our fine healthy climate, pure
water, red clover, dairying and stock
raising soon became the leading indus
try i'm Southern and Western Minnesota.
The farmers began to have ready money
to pay for the goods they purchased,
thus saving from 10 to 20 per cent.
Fine large barns were built for his stock /;
old mortgages were lifted off, and a
look of satisfaction and contentment set
tied upon his face for the first time
since the Indian war. With these adj
~vantageous surroundings and modern
appliances brought into requisition,
Minnesota took the grand sweepstakes
prize on butter at the worlds fair held