The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-09-25
Editorial NOtings.

WARM. UlNe uer plenlJ w eau anu loolh
to lie down, and she will never bother
her head about exercise" If this is
intended to convey the idea that breed
of dairy cows can be maintained upon
the no-exercise theory, nothing could
be more false or pernicious. While it
may be true as to the individual COW,
the rule applied to the race would ex-
tirpate it in very few generations.
WHAT STATISTICS SHow.-A COM
mercial journal, reviewing the railroad
business of the country, makes the fol-
lowing striking statement: " Another
fact to be noted in this connection is
that wherever local traffic has become
the more important source of the rail-
roads revenue, there rates are not only
lower but the returns to capital are
largest, surest and steadiest, The road
that in these twenty-four years has
spent its strength in grasping at
through, to the neglect of local, traffic is
the road that has suffered most and
built for itself the most insecure found
alton. Those sections of roads that
suffered least in the decentralization of
the past year were the ones possessed
of large local traffic. The average
haul per ton in New England for 1888
was sixty-two miles, and in the Middle
States eighty-eight miles, against 1873
for the Southwest and $50 for the North
west roads. But while the long-haul
states or roads record tremendous losses,
the eastern short-haul lines almost
maintain the even tenor of their way
in spite of the many adverse conditions.
The secret Of permanent prosperity for
any railroad is the deUotion Of its capdci-
ties to the service of the adjoining COM
munities." -
THAT LIMIT.-It is often said, in a
sneering way ,-chiefiy by men inter-
ested in creameries, that there is a
limit to the business of supplying dairy
products directly to the consumers; and
recently writer has stated that about
all of such trade there is has passed
over to the creameries already. Ger
tainlv there is ga limit" to everything
earthly; but there can be no doubt
about the fact that millions of families
buy all their butter and cheese of deal
ers, while only small per cent get
their supply directly from the farm.
Creameries, having the advantage of
organization and capital, are in con-
dition to take much of what direct trade
there is; but if families could have
their choice, the vast majority would
prefer the nice farm dairy-knowing
that the creamery butter is made from
mixed milk, which must include more
or less that is not strictly nice. The
main trouble is in the difficulty of di-
rect business relations between the
farmer and his family customers at a
distance. This can only be overcome
by that freight express, which the farm
ers would get if they made the demand
strongly enough. When got, it will
enable them to deal directly, not only il
butter and cheese, but in many Other
food products.
, TIE WORLDS EXPERIENCE.-In ne
portion of the world, except where re
, ligious beliefs intervene to nullify natu
raj tastes, do vegetable fats replace ami
NAL fats as dietary articles. In hot eli
mates, where dairying is impossible O.
very difficult, and dairy products poor
t vegetable oils are used by the people
| But instead of these oils driving GU
butter in the cooler regions, we believe
l that sealed butter of high quality cal
be made an article of extensive com
merce between northern and southern
countries. Already it is reported tina
9 the low price of butter is cutting int,
t the oleo trade, proving that the people
- only buy the butter because it is cheap
2 With improved dairy herds, and i'm
Q proved methods of manufacture an,
/ sale, butter can be made and soil
, cheaply, and yet with fair margin o
/ profit. The ingenuity of man tend
: towards the cheapening of all industria
t products, and the farmer cannot escap
d this law. He must move with the "prc
e cession," and he ought to realize tina
II what is done 10 manufac lures and trad
can also be done to great extent in ag
If riculture. In fact, it is already bein
&C done as to many agricultural staples
n In return, we get manufactured proc
o ucts for much less money than before
d and in the final read ustment of rate
n there is no reason to believe that farm
1. ers will be worse off than other pre-
sr ducers.
I, BROTHER CHEEVER, of the NeW Enc
% land Farmer, in a recent editoria
re discusses the comments of the cit
80 .,.ooo ,,,>a,, tha affart 10 inJnoa ;r,p,