Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-07-16
observation-disclosures.


There can be no doubt tina our dairy indus
try is at the present very seriously embarrass
ed To this effect the testimony is abundant
and practically unanimous from all parts OF
the country.
Relief is being sought in the bill now
pending in Congress to tax imitation butter
and the manufacturers and dealers in this ar
ticle. May not this bill be due to an error
in the diagnosis OF the case?
Very much has been said and written in
fnvor of mixed husbsndry; but is not the
dairy industry, especially that which at pres
ent 10 in so suffering condition, conducted
against the principles of mixed husbandry2
Aud are not the present sufferings largely the
result OF having, as the phrase is, all our
eggs in one basket?
Although the prices of our dairy products
are low, they are by no means exceptionally
so. Wheat, corn, -four, sugar, lard, pork,
beef and many other agricultural products
are, and of late have been, phenomenally low.
The number of milch cows in the country
to-day shows that for the past twenty years
there has been a steady and uniform increase,
while the average price per head has suffered
great huctuation, attaining its minimum in
1879 and from then to 1884 1.-THE last official
date of the Agricultural Department. steadily
| increasing, SO that in 1884, the average price
per head of mich cows was higher than at
any time since 1872. And it will be found
also that mich COWS are by no means excep-
| tional, since all other farm animals as horses,
mules and oxen, have huctuated in value since
1870 almost exactly in proportion to mich
COWS, each of them decreasing continually in
price from 1870 to 1879, and since then each
of them continually increasing in value until
| 1884.
But there is, as think, an explanation of
| the present depressed condition of our dairy
industry which has nothing to do with the
manufacture and sale of oleomargarine, but
terine, and similar artificial buffers and the
explanation, while sufficient, suggests the
remedy.
Mr.. Hatch, the chairman of the House
committee on agriculture, stated that there
were slaughtered in Chicago last year 300 900
mich COWS, and he used this as an evidence
to show how seriously depressed was the dairy
| industry and how great WAS the need of the
Scot bill'' or similar legislation to protect
the dairymen by placing heavy tax upon
| the manufacturers and dealers in oeomargar-
| inc.
am sorry TO see that later testimony given
before the Senate committee on agriculture
by stock dealers of Chicago goes to prove
that but small portion of these 300, 600 were
in any sense really withdrawn from the diaries
OF the west, or could fairly be rated as mich
cows l regret this, and, in the interests of
the dairy, wish that, instead OF 300, 00O, there
might annually be selected from the diaries of
the country at least 5000, 900 milch COWS,
which should be sent to the slaughter houses
for whatever they might bring, even should
their price not average over a dollar a head,
provided only that something approximating
judicious selection should be made of such
COWS as we're thus TO be slaughtered.
believe that nothing would be of greater
| vulua m mn dairy ingaraafa fnr tba Col
lowing reason
Mr. Edward j. Wickson, in an address on
1.-THE future of dairying," said 81 have
authentic reports from 30 cheese factories
and creAmeries located in widely different To-
calities, giving the average net returns per
COW to patrons, the highest average per COW
TO q single patron, and the lowest average per
COW to a single patron. The figures are
drawn from the actual records of the yields
of more than SO, 600 cows The average
yield per COW was $39. 81. In the individual
factories the highest average per COW was
$50 OF, and the lowest per COW $3l %. OF
the diaries sending milk to the factories, the
best seasons average per COW was $S2. II, and
the average of the highest diaries was $50 O4
The lowest yield in single dairy was IA. sc
average money to a COW, and the average oil
the poorest diaries was $29 "a per cow"
The above results will not, think, be re
garded as exceptional by any one familiar
with dairy statistics. But it will be seen tina
the average for the best dairy was ACT pei
cent greater than for the poorest and th,
average for the best half of all the dairie
was above 10 per cent better than the averag,
for the poorer half. While this NAV haV,
been very profitable business for the dairy
men Of the better half, it is quite likely tina
there was either little or no profit, il not &C
, tual loss, TO those whose diaries belonged b
, the poorer class. These differences are yer,
largely due to the character of the animals o
the several diaries, and TO other causes, large
, ly IL not wholly within control of the dairy
1 men themselves. 1t ia doubtless true tina
whatever profits have accrued to the dairy 70
, the past half century have been derived fror
/ not over third of the dairy animals, Will
} another third may have fairly paid for thei
' care and keeping, the remaining third bein
I a source of actual loss to the darymen On
a dairymen should see to it that there are non
4 of this latter class among their own herds
Peter Collier in Husbdlldman.