The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1912-10-18
Why a Dairyman
Address Delivered by J. L. Canuthers at the
Creamery Picnic at Stevensvile, Montana

dairyman it will be necessary to
10 hack to my boyhood days on
farm back in eastern Ohio where
nv first employment was to drive
Tho COWS from the pasture and, with
the help of the hired girl, do the
milking, for it was the custom there
Cor the women to do the milking.
On one occasion it became my duty
10 break in a new cow that was so
wild it took all hands to g t her in
IN the corral, but once there she was
lent there and food and water given
her daily and no one was allowed to
tonch her but myself. In one months
time she would follow me all around
the farm.
In the pasture there was high
rock that slanted upward gradually
from one side. She would follow me
right up to the highest place and stand
there while l MIXED her. She would
come at the sound of my voice from
any place in the pasture and if such
thing as love can exist between
human and dumb animals We sure
~ loved each other and I want to
saw I have never forgotten my first
love. After leaving the odd farm
I. like thousands of others, drifted
into the city and l went through
the experience of being called out
on a strike when we were perfectly
satisfied with our pay. have also
found myself out of job when
other trsdesmen would go on a
strike and the whole works would
shut down.
On one occasion after working a
few days, drew my pay and found
they kept just one-half I had due
me for poll tax, road tax, doctor
and hospital fees, insurance, etc.
HIhad quit one day sooner I should
have been in debt to them. [ re-
member when Coxey's army of
thousands of unemployed men were
tramping and beating their way
across the country to Washington
D. c., and employment of any kind
was we'll nigh impossible.
Having bought a home, paying
part down and giving mortgage
for the balance, | laid awake many
night wondering how was going
to come out.
j Finally I became a benedict, took
civil service examination and Sc
cured employment with Uncle Sam,
and after five years in his employ
i'll health forced me to resign.
In the spring of 1901 l purchased
farm in the valley with the crop
all in and as the season was favor
able we had good harvest. was
soon congratulating myself on the
change I had made from a wage
Garner to Bitter Root farmer.
| am great hand to figure, and
with a good crop all safe, | figured
that at the prices | was accustomed
to pay in the city I was on the way
to the Rockefeller class. The first
\ offer I had for my produce was 80
cents per hundred weight for spuds
when I had paid $3.50 in the city.
The next was so cents a bushel for
wheat and So a ton for timothy
hay where I had sen it sell for $40
IN the city. 1t is needless to say
my hopes received rude shock. l
began to figure again and found
that if l sold my crop at these
prices | had for the summer not
even been wage Garner; l had just
worked for my board. This GER
tainly called for serious considera-
ton. In the meantime [ was read
Ing bulletins from the experiment
station and several farm papers. one
OF them being Hoard's Dairyman,
and | want to say that no man tina,
runs dairy can afford to be with
out it as there is nothing better pub
fshed for the dairyman. [ also re-
membered the price we had to pay
N the city for butter and [ suppose
some of my first love came back t.
NE, too. But my wife had never
made a pound of butter in her life