The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-05-13
AGRICULTURAL.
An Irrepressible Conflict.

conditions change, but 1t is harder 10
understand why men are so unwilling
to accept the changed conditions and
profit thereby. The advent of the
steam and street railway systems rang
the death knell of stage-coaching. The
owners of stage-coach lines refused to
accept the change as more than tenn
porary, but they surrendered to the
logic of dwindling patronage and inan-
cial failure. j. II. Hathon of Boston,
with his immense line of coaches,
fought this modern interloper with the
most intense vigor, reducing fares in
the early seventies TO four-cent basis,
but he finally succumbed to the logic of
stern necessity.
In 1869 G. H. Hammond, followed in
1871 by G. w. Swift, aud later by 9th
ers, startled the Brighton butchers by
the unheard- of laying
down in Boston, in perfect condition,
refrigerated beef dressed in Chicago.
Great was the fight precipitated by this
action, the majority of the people re-
fusing to eat refrigerated beef, and the
majority of the dealers refusing to sell
it: but the memorable law of supply
and demand, with the excessive cheap
ening of the cost of western production,
has in a quarter of century brought
almost the last eastern butcher to cry
for quarter.
This irrepressible conflict between
old systems and new ones has now
shifted it's battle ground to the dairy in
terests of the country.
Through the walls of hut and palace,
Shoots the instantaneous throe,
When the travail of the ages
VIKINGS earth's systems to and fro;
At the birth of each new era,
With recognizing start
Nation wildly looks at nation
Standing with mute lips apart"
The broad grazing lands of the West
have produced butter in immense guam
titles, and, owing to the vast improve
ments in creamery machinery, have pro-
duced quality of butter undreamed-of
in the old-fashioned dairy-making.
There must also be taken into considera-
ton the fact that butter is laid down in
Boston from the West, one thousand TO
fifteen hundred miles away, about as
cheaply as the Vermont farmer lays his
butter down in Boston, two hundred
miles away. The inevitable result is
that Vermont farmers, whether they
will or no, must accept the situation
and patronize the creamery, with its
modern machinery and improved ia
cilities for doing the business. The
farmer need not be censured for failing
to read the signs of the times, but
should rather receive the sympathy of
those who should realize what it means
to give up cherished plans, laid in the
strong foundations of youthful hope and
built into the superstructure of life
time of patient toll
The inerrant trend of commerce in
supply apd demand has illustrated the
truth of the survival of the fittest" in
dairy matters; and while the farmer
has fought vigorously and steadily,
yet he finds himself without market
for his dairy butter, except at a differ
ence of from three to five cents a
pound. Why? Because first, the
creamery produces a finer quality of
butter and uniform grade, so that
retail dealer places his orders not from
testing it, but because of the brand
The consumer never samples the but
ter but says, " give me the same brand
as usually have" Secondly, because
the creamery can make the butter more
economically than the farmer can by
producing more butter for each hun
dred pounds of milk lowing to i'm
proved facilities), by saving in cost of
tubs, salt and other supplies, purchased
at wholesale prices, by saving in freight
in shipping larger quantities.
The farmer who correctly reads the
signs of the times finds the following
advantages occurring: % Instead of
the old custom of bartering butter for
groceries, he gets his cash for his milk
every month (and has the skim-mik for
his calves and pigs besides) thus
enabling him to buy his groceries at
spot-cash prices. (2) He requires no
capital for tubs and supplies. (3) He
takes away largely from the women of
the household the slavery of farm life,
giving them time to read and enjoy
life. When young man asks young
woman to share his home, his greatest
desire is to make that home the pleas
ATTEST place in all the world. While
the pride of the young housewife should
be to be useful as well as ornamental,
the ambition of the young dairyman
should be to see his bride orname ntal