The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-02-28
WISCONSIN DAIRY INTER.
EST.
Some Figures From H. C. Adams Address at
Augusta.

The State Dairymans convention
held successful meeting at Augusta
Wis.,, Feb. ~. The attendance had
been large, the papers varied and
valuable, the keen interest has been
manifested in one of the greatest and
most important industries of the
state. eve have in Wisconsin COL.
900 cows" he said. "They are sup
posed to be worth $50 each, or $780,
10000. Their calves and hiefers
have a value of 100000 AS COWS
are kept in this state and as land
runs it takes four acres to keep
COW, or 100000 acres to support
all of our dairy cattle. The average
value of our farming land is SIS per
acre, which makes the total value of
the land devoted to dairying $685.
100000, or total investment in the
dairy business of at least S121,ooo,.
900.
"Our COWS gave last year milk
enough to make 53,976,126 pounds
OF butter and 53,843,2o4 pounds of
cheese. In making this statement
it is assumed that the milk of con-
sumption, which is about forty per
cent, has been made into butter and
cheese. If all the milk had been
made into butter, it would have yield
ed 75,553,438 pounds, an average of
nearly III pounds per cow. This
association is organized to get an in
tellectual pry under averages of this
kind and lift them into an atmos-
phere of profit. 1t would be god
send to the farmers of this state if
three-ffths of their poorest COWS
should be struck by lightning before
shutdown.
"What can we do about it," he
asked, "Do as some of the members
of this association have been doing
for quarter of a century-observe,
think, use reason and ridicule to make
careless men figure out their own f.
nanclal salvation. We are progress
ing, but not SO fast as we some
times imagine. The number of wo-
men who fool away their time pound
ing butter in bowl is almost beyond
belief. The dash churn is still
nuisance in every neighborhook.
The shallow small pan, the mother
and grandmother of sour cream and
bitter cream in winter and no cream
at all in summer is as common as
empty pocket-books, not one farmer
in FIVE milks his COWS regularly or
does it properly, The man who
knows how to raise a calf has few as
soCiates of his kind. The sharp
practice of scant feeding has ten
followers where that of high limit
feeding has one. Where one man
gets thirty cents for his butter three
get fifteen cents. The most common
precepts of good dairy practice can
not be repeated too often. The
A-B-C's of the dairy bushes have
yet to be learned by the great major
ity of Wisconsin farmers.
''THE FARMERS INSTITUTES
have gone closer to the people in this
respect than to any other education
al influence. In every county the
short, practical papers and breezy
discussions have brought about i'm
mediate and evident results. One
prominent breeder of dairy cattle
told me that he could tell where the
institutes were last winter by the let
tiers of inquiry he received about
breeding stock from the communi-
ties where held. Not only this, but
purchasers of butter in towns where
these meetings have been held near
ly all testify to the marked improve
ment of the article they buy. The
institutes have been the been the
means of making the Wisconsin far
mers intimately acquainted with the
business methods of successful dairy
men. The possibilities of the COW
as a money-making machine have
been so clearly presented that we
find to-day new class of men going
into the dairy business. Young men
with ambition, energy, education and