Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-03-09

which they received between $780,
900 and $500, 600 Less than 10 per
cent of the manufactured product
was disposed of to the people in
Dickinson county, which makes
practically an export for same county
Of trife over a quarter million of
dollars, or an income Of SIS per cap
ita, for the entire farming popula-
ton of the county.
feel sure that some one is fearing
an over production, If the industry
continues to grow in the future as it
has in the past. Let us take into con-
sideration our chance for competing
on the markets compared with a great
many of the other states Of the coun.
try today. 1t costs about two and
one.half times as much to produce
milk in New York state as it does in
Kansas and costs but three cents per
pound to market Kansas goods on the
New York market. The western
states, such as Minnesota, Illinois,
Nebraska and Iowa are rapidly taking
advantage of the low price at which
butter can be produced in the west,
Comparing our state with the already
named western states we can produce
as cheap if not cheaper than any one
of them. For the people who are
fearing an over production we must
also consider the increasing demand
for our butter in the English and
other European markets.
The export of the United States
butter has increased to such an ex-
tent as to play an important feature
as an outlet for our product, and the
flavor produced by our western prai-
ries has given Kansas and other west
ern goods the preference in these mar
kets The only question which would
arise in the event there were very
heavy production would be as to who
could remain in the market at the
lowest price, and of course then we
would be compelled to compete with
some Of our neighbor states. II this
should come to pass, which is, how
ever, the least we have to fear, we
would have to try to produce cheaper.
TO do this and get to the top notch
we will at all times have to be look
ing out for improvements.
We will have to improve our stock
and method of handling our dairy
cows. There are also few minor
points which we must consider. As.
First, are we feeding our cows valua-
BILE feed and getting only half as much
butter as we shoulda Second, have
we cows in our herd which are eating
one-third more feed than the rest and
are producing no more butter? Third,
are we feeding good palatable well
balanced ration
There is another point we must
consider and try to regulate. That is
product composed of oils, tallows
and fats, in fact "any old stuff" doc
tored up and colored so as to deceive
a great many people who claim to be
butter experts, is being extensively
marked as butter. This product has
been gradually increasing for years
past and during the month of Janu-
ary, 1898, in the northern part of
Illinois and Chicago were sold $780,
900 pounds of oleomargarine.
With Just legislation, our Kansas
farms well stocked with dairy cows,
our farmers educated to properly feed,
care for and treat them, and good
management on the part Of the cream
cry managers, | believe we are safe
in saying that this industry is COM
paratively at its infancy when pro-
ducing the vast amount of butter and
cheese it did during last year.