The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-30
GREAT FIELD IN
 DAIRY BUSINESS Auburn Expert Visits the Local
 Diaries TOO MUCH BUTTER SENT IN
  MT. Dow Thinks Alabama Should Have More Cows Instead of Getting 7. So Much Butter From
 the North.
TOO MUCH BUTTER SENT IN
BY WALTER HARPER.

S. D. Dow. in charge of the Ala
 bama dairy division. bureau of animal
 industry, United States department of
 agriculture, who has been in the city
 for a few days, returned to his home
 at Auburn yesterday.
 MT. Dow came to Birmingham to
 confer with the local dairymen and in | spect conditions in the dairies. He is
 also trying to interest the local milk
 men in building modern, sanitary barns
 and silos. He reports considerable | interest in these subjects and plans
 are now being drawn for improvements l of this kind by local dairymen. "A number of barns will be built this l'year in the Birmingham district under
 the supervision of Mr. Dow. Expert Dairyman.
 MT. Dow is an expert dairyman and has studied the business in all it's
 phases in all sections of the country.
 He Is well equipped for the work to
 which he has been assigned by the l department of agriculture. His ad-
 vice and suggestions nave done much to
 improve the condition of dairymen in
 Alabama and to better the service.
 The dairymen comes in closer con- tact with the public perhaps than the
 producer of any other food product 1 and the efficiency of his service af- fects every man, woman and child in the community. The health of tic | community to large degree is in his hands. It is well that severe restric- tions are thrown around the busi- 1 ness. MT. Dow says that Birmingham now has a most efficient and care full milk inspector in the person of E. M. Duncan and that the people should give, him all the support possible. Mr. Duncan is practical man and has taken pains to prepare himself for the business
 MT. Dow Talks.
 Before leaving the city yesterday Mir. Dow said: T am pleased with dairy | conditions in the Birmingham district. Of course the business here has not yet
 reached that high standard of efficiency
 that We all desire but, your dairy
 men are progressive and wide-awake
 and are rapidly taking on those things l that help to improve the service. "The federal government as well as
 the state of Alabama is doing all in 1 its power to help the dairymen bring his business up to the highest stand ard of efficiency and to the greatest l degree of profit to himself. We visit the dairyman In his barn and in the field and advise with him about the selection of the stock, the manner of feeding, milking and in the prepara- tion of the products for the market. quality in the dairy business and we preach this from morning to night and
 from night to morning.
 Ideal Dairy Barn.
 "The ideal dairy barn is built of concrete with concrete floor. A barn for 20 cows costs about $500 and when properly kept is sanitary and clean.
 I am of the opinion that number of these barns will be built by Birming- ham dairymen during the present sum-
 mer and coming fall. I have furnish ed plans to a number of the local men and will return soon to render any | further assistance that may be desired We are also trying to interest the | dairymen in the building of silos and many of them are taking the matter up. The silo Is an airtight barn or l tank in which green feed Is stored for | winter or fall use. It is kept green and in the fresh state in the silos. No dairy plant Is entirely complete without this arrangement.
 Alabama should produce all the milk and butter consumed in the state. We have the best climate in the world, plenty of food products and an excel lent water supply. Cotton seed pro- vide the greatest protein food supply in the world and we have an abund- ance. of that food without the cost of
 freight rates. As 1t is now we ship
 the cotton seed to the northwest and it
 is shipped back to us in the form of
 milk and butter. We should complete the finished product in the cotton fields here in Alabama.
 Fertilizer Factory.
 More than this the dairy COW is the greatest fertilizer factory in the world
 Every COW on the farm returns to the soil more soil fertility than her average
 price will buy in commercial products
 The good milk and butter COW is a ver- itable mint.
 Alabama affords a market for dairy
 products that Alabama dairymen should
 supply. Let me give you some figures
 Those of 1905-6 are the last that are available. but they apply at the present time If there is any difference the im- portations are larger now than those noted. Birmingham imported 29l ,2O5 pounds of creamery butter, 27s0O0 of rem ovated butter, 1360O0 pounds of oleomar- gerine, 1,767.520 pounds of cheese and 1.453.- 6SO pounds of condensed milk in the fiscal
 year ending June 9o 1906. These figures
 are even larger now. The amount of money spent during that time by Birming
 ham, Montgomery and Mobile for the inl- ported products named was s1,723 ,055. .4s. Birmingham's share of this is about one
 half