Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-02-11

| went IOf Mn, hammer anu touSS-
Hon. Matt. Anderson, of Crosse
Plains, and Mr.. Allen, of Beaver
Dam, spoke in favor Of protection.
The morning session was closed
with q lecture from Prof. H. Armsby,
professor IF agricultural chemistry at
the Wisconsin University, or the
component parts of various products
OF the farm and garden.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
Wednesday afternoon there was an
other gooSly gathering in the assem-
| bly, chamber-as the president, Hon.
Alex A. Arnold remarked, "a grand
display of good and solid farmers,
bent en- business
The convention was called TO order
few minutes after two o'clock. when
Mr.. Allen, of Dodge county, offered a
resolution asking the railroad com
ponies of this state to reduce the rate
OF freight 10 one cent per mile per ton
upon car loads OF fertiEzing salt. and
also upon land plaster, for the first
one hundred miles run, and 10 one
| fourth of one cent per mile per ton for
any distance run more than one hun
bred miles
This was referred to a special com
mit.ee.
Then came an address on Dairy
| ing the Best for the Farm and Farm
err" by Maj Henry E. A word, Hough-
ton Farm, Mcuntainvlle, \ Y. but
efore commencing his address the
major spoke complimentary words to
the great number IF farmers present.
He vas glad to see so many present,
and was glad to notice the earnestness
Of every farmer during the sessions Of
! the convention.
The major started out by saying the
! first duty of the farmer Of this c0un-
try Is to provide our own people with
! food and clothing. For twenty
years, agricultural products have
constituted more than three-fourths
of the total exports from the United
States, while in single recent wears,
this proportion has reached So per
cent, and amounting in value to near
! ly nine hundred million dollars. 1t
! is manifest, noreove., that this
superabundance of agricultural pro-
duction will continue, despite any
possible increase IN population duriag
! the present century.
The speaker finally came to the
more interesting portion OF his ad-
dress, and said:
My special purpose at present is TO invite your
| attention to dairying as the most important
| branch of animal Industry, and as the best both
| for the farmer and his farm. 1t is hardly neces-
sary TO ever rehearse the proportions which dairy
| production and the dairy trade have assumed in
this country, and yet a brief comparative state
ment seems appropriate here
In round numbers our neat cattle represent
half of the s. 5000 100000 invested in live stock on
| the farms and ranges Of this country. And Of
| third of the whole number are
mich COWS. In value these mich cows consti-
entire capital in cattle. To be conservatiYely
| safe we may reckon the cows fairly classed as
dairy animals at between twelve and thirteen
million, and these may be roughly divided as
| eight million butter cows, one million for cheese
| and four million for milk supply, Without count
ing the yearly Increase in calves from mich cows
| the aggregate products OF the dairy are annual
ly equal in value to the dairy cattle themselves,
| being nearly, If not quite, SiO0O00,OC0. This is
equal 10 half the estimated total meat products,
The product OF dairyiDg therefore, form at least
twoffths of the entire annual products Of cattle
| growing in America
In a classified list of the agricultural products
of the nation, arranged according to values, meat
stands first, corn second and the dairy third.
Wheat and hay come next, but with few ex-
| ceptions, our dairy products for several years
/ have been worth more than our wheat crop and
more than our hay crop Our butter product
| alone is worth more than our cotton crop, and
the milk we consume as food is worth as much
| as our crop OF oats
The whole issue of national bank notes would
not purchase the products of our diaries the pres
| ent year, and the aggregate banking capital IS
I less in value than beef and beef products which
| are placed upon our markets every twelve
months
The development Of American darying exhibits
] 81 ia IN NHuH Itlaf
agriculture, for il combines rapid growth with re-
| markabe improvement The application of
\ mechanical skill and the activity of inventive
/ genius is an excellent indication Of the advance
| OF any industry in this country. Perhaps moth
! ing shows our dairy development more than the
/ fact that from the opening OF the United states
patent Office more than eighty years ago, 70 the
| present time, there has been more than one np-
/ pication for every fortnight for a patent on
churn, and during the last twenty-five years q
new or improved churn has been invented every
/ five or six days.
| Our dairying was without unusual features I'M
til about 1910, and the great growth has occurret
within fifty years. In that time the number OF
mich cows 10 the United States has tripled and
/ their products have quadrupled in value. IL is
| within the memory of us al that, like the Great
| American Desert the famous dairy belt has
| faded away and is heard Of no more. The idea
/ so long maintained that the profitable dairying
| of the country would always be monopolized by
a district cohined within certain mar
row geographical limits, has been thoroughly
| exploded. II has been amply shown that good
butter and cheese can be made, by proper man
| agement I'M almost all parts OF North America
between the SOD, and 50th, parallels, and perhaps
this is drawing the lines too close Generally
speaking the territory where good butter can be
| prohtably produced is more extensive than that
with satisfactory conditions for even limited beef
production. Even the influences Of climate, soil
water and heritage, are largely controlled, and
| what is lacking in natural conditions is supplied
| by tact and skill We find some OF the best rec
| oris Of dairy performances, both as 70 quantity
and quality of single animals and whole herds,
| in the highest ATTITUDES Of Canada and in lower
| Tennessee. In remote districts Of Maine and
| Minnesota on the plains OF Nebraska, in the
mountains OF Colorado aud California, among
the old cotton fields Of Mississippi and In the
| high lands of Florida dairying has assumed
/ commercial importance, and know Of establish
ments in all these places, where butter or cheese,
! or both, have been made long enough and with
| such success as 10 fully satisfy the owners and
| friends OF these respective enterprises.
! The factory system Is the Characteristic Tea
| ture OF American dairying, and The one % which
/ this industry owes its greatest advance
during the present generation, We all know
the wonderfully rapid extension Of this system
| during recent years. The census OF 1880, emu
| merates nearly four thousand dairy factories,
| with a capital Of 100000 and total product
valued at S20O00000, and reasonable estimates
now place the factories at COCO. IL is true that
| OF ali the dairy products OF the country, very