Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-02-18
COWS SAVING KANSAS.
Farmers Wives Teaching Their Hus-
ha rdr Tho Irco OF e,n,n Ii Thirnr

Farmers Wives Teaching Their Hus-
bands the Use of Small Things.
Abilene correspondent New York Sun.
The COW is saving the farmer of the
plains. She is not the handsomest of
his possessions. but as she is coaxed into
corner of the yard and gives her milk
she does more to pay off the mortgages
than any of the fancy investments of
which the western farmer has been so
proud. The last few years have been
hard ones for the dweler on the prairie
claim. He has found the price of grain
low and the yield light. He has expert
mented, and found the end vexatious.
Now he is undertaking something that is
more certain, though slower. The cream
cry is being brought to the front, and
promises to be the coming favorite in all
the prairie regions where the possibili-
ties of diversified farming are under
stood.
In Kansas scores of creameries are be-
ing built each month. Less than ten years
ago the first creamery was established
in this county, and it was one of the
first in the state. New there are fifteen
in this county, and of the 1900 families
in the farming communities 1.700 take to
the factory each morning a greater or
less supply of milk. They get from S.
to $500 each month the year round. The
average is about $40, and the total is
nearly 100000 annually. That means
much to the settlers who are thus Ell
a bled to have a steady income not de-
pendent on the rainfall or the winds.
The prairie women are responsible for
the great advance made in this direction.
They were the first to see the profit to be
gained from he little things on the claim.
The hens are said to have saved Ne
braska, and the humble cow is doing as
much for Kansas Said ono woman tha
other day:
II have paid almost all of the mortgage
on our place by the milk money, and my
husband did not know for long while
the source of my income. While our
neighbors who have depended on straight
farming have suffered, and some of them
have lost their places, we have saved
money and are all right" She was one
of the frontier women who have done so
much to build UP the west.
The creamery is reaching out to the
furtherest places of the west for mar
ket. and ali the mining camps are now
depending on the plains for butter and
cheese. The Mexican trade is also COM
ing 70 the front because of the increase
of the refrigerator cars, which made it
possible to take the product to its desti-
nation in good condition.
The cattle that were once supposed
to rustic for themselves through the win
ter are now carefully shielded and their
increase is saved with solicitude for the
farmers are seeing that herein lies the
way to better times. Twenty cars of
corn take about the same money in the
market as one car of butter. The latter
pays little more freight than one of the
cars of corn. -,
Eere the farmer finds the solution Of
the freight. rates. and If he can work
along this line people will see and hear
less of the dissatisfaction that has be-
non So .or t1,n in ms nv
west is all right If the right to use 1t Is
found The humble COW is pointing out
one way that promises to be very success
full.