The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-08-20
THE DAIRY INTEREST

NOR the past fifteen twenty years. the leading in
j dustry OF Vermont has been her dairy interest
About the middle of the present century the talented
eccentric SAKE poet editor and man. was asked what
the Green Mountain State exceed in of all her products
and his ready answer " women and he added "maple
sugar and Morgan horses The present methods adoped
IN the dairy have preserved standard in the produc
ton of the first named staple Continued high prices (un
til the present year) of imported sweets have fosered
continued production up to the standard of our maple
products and only the last Morgan horses have been
"oer Swallowed by the comparatively new industry the
cow Our tables OF reference in order show the COM
paratve increase OF the of Vermont the last ten
years, yet in blank but observers who have had
opportunities to obtain information on this subject
give the numbers only slight increase over the census
returns of 1880, viz 100000 cows In order TO show
what value this industry is to the State we must need
compute the product and while Numbers are not much in
excess of the period for the past decade the intelligent
farmers and damen Of the State have given their atten
ron to improved quality of stock till now in place of
yielding but $50 pounds of butter per head we find
the average brought up largely and good large herds
whose product is than double the figures of 1880
Were advertising individual herds we could name
several of 300 pounds production and even higher and
during the past winter modest up in one of the
northern Counties showed a table of records where
by care in breeding, wedding and feeding he had
brought herd of than twenty animals up and nm
year after year, till they yielded him the almost fabulous
product of three hundred and seventyour pounds per
head That this be the average for the State we do
not contend but there spot on earth where il can
be accomplished, if not in Vermont The sweet and lux
uriant pastures exceptionally fine quality English bay
and the ne plus ultra in water supply will prove to anv
that State has better prospect of success in this
line of agriculture, than has Vermont
Our present number of cows, yielding on an average
but 2OO pounds OF butter or proporonate amount of
cheese with population of little less number than the
cows giving each individual of the State so pounds per
annum of butter would still leave us for export some
thing pounds of butter per year TO which
amount it would be easy matter to add by increased
production another 25 100000 pounds at comparativev
small added cost 1t gives us pleasure call attention
to the new venture IN the manufacture of butter bv the
Franklin County farmers, where the output is now less
than two months after its starting, than 10000
pounds of butter day. something like 5000 pounds
per week, and still increasing. This venture started at
the suggestion of the intelligent of that County, has
not yet had its first anniversary and still we hear of sug
gestons OF concentrating the manufacture of butter in
Vermont until the entire output shall be made in about
four of these mammoth establishments-by this means
reducing the cost of making to minimum and securing
not alone more uniform article but by concentrating
efforts and shipping in large amounts or holding in cold
storage shall BEST get the product into market to
better advantage than possible and giving better
net returns to the producer than the best arranged
creameries of to-day can possibly do.
That this is not visionary has already been abundantly
Proved and even the white haired matrons of
to-day may see in the future still greater revolutions
in the dairy than the past twenty-five years have made
When, in place of the surplus of five million pounds
twenty years ago. the present surplus of over fifty mi
lion pounds of butter place one hundred and ftv
million pounds Of butter outside the State without in
creasng the number of cows we shall feel that Yer
mont daiyng is perfect and we feel sure that
the brains of our darymen capable of accomplishing
this and greater results. 1t will be shown by those
more capable than the writer of this article that in the
product of cereals State leads the list producing
more corn more wheat rye, barley oats and buck
wheat per acre than any other State in the Union
We have already stated that her water supply was all
that could be desired and that the quality of her grasses
was perfection for hay grazng and we feel inclined to
venture the assertion that Vermont leads the States in
the amount and value of her dairy products per cow 1t
is certain that darying is only in it's infancy and
what the future has in store for only to be measured
by the amount of energy and intelligence our dairymen
exhibit in their pursuit of success in this direction
Our confidence in the State is unbounded and we have
he fullest faith that dairyng in Vermont will prove one
'f the great industries which will lift the farmers of our
State out of the discouragemens of to-day into the sue
,ess and enjoyments of the morrow.