Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-12-27
ILLINOIS FOURTH
AS A DAIRY STATE
Interesting Statistics Are Pre-
pared Under Direction Of
the Census Bureau.

Washington, Dec. PA bulletin
summarizing the da-a collected for
dairy states for 1909 has just been
issued by Director Durand of the bur
reau of the census, department of
commerce and labor 1t was prepared
under the supervision Of John Lee
Coulter, expert special agent for agri-
culture
There were 5.140.s69 farms in the
United States for which the enumera-
tors reported dairy cows on April IL,
1910. For only AIS, 1873 of these farms
were dairy products Of any kind re-
ported as produced in 1909, and for
only 1927. 461 was the quantity of milk
produced in 1909 stated. The total
number of dairy cows on farms April
Is, 1910, was reported as 2O,625, 600,
while the number of farms which re-
ported the production Of any kind of
dairy products in 1909 was 1916, 900,
or 900 per cent Of the total number,
and the number on farms which re-
ported the production of milk in 1909
was 1868, 900, or 77.9 per cent of
the total. In considering these figures,
it should be borne in mind that there
is no precise distinction between daiy
cows and cows not kept for milk. In
good many cases enumerators proba-
bly, reported as dairy cows animals
which in fact were primarily kept for
breeding purposes and which were
only MIXED for short periods, if at
all, during the preceding year.
The total production of milk report
ed for 1909 was 5,s14, 100000 gallons;
the true total probably exceeded this
by not less than 10, per cent There
were, on April Is, 1910, 16,069,0O0
dairy COWS on the farms reporting this
milk Assuming that there were the
same number in 1909, the average pro-
duction of milk per COW would be 1862
4 gallons.
! The total value of dairy products
/ of farms in 1909, exclusive of milk
and cream consumed on the farm, was
reported as $596,413,0O0. This repIe-
sents the sum of the receipts from
/ the sale of milk, cream, and butter
4 fat amounting in all to SS72, 403, 000),
and the value of all butter and cheese
produced on farms, whether sold or
$224,010,000).
The total reported value of dairy
products sold in 1909 was S473, 769, 900,
of which the value of milk. cream and
butter fat sold represented nearly four
fifths and that of butter most of the
remainder: The quantity of milk sold
as such was reported as 1,937000.000
gallons, or substantially one-third Of
the total reported as produced; but it
should be borne in mind that a grea,
deal of milk sold or delivered to
creameries for butter making is paid
for on the basis of the cream or butter
fat content, in which case the guam
tity of such cream or butter fat was
usually reported on the census SEIZED
Ules and not the quantity of milk. The
greater part of the milk reported as
sold was doubtless consumed as such,
chiefly in cities and villages, but a
considerable quantity represents milk
delivered to condensed-milk and cheese
factories, and some small part milk
delivered to>creameries for the produc-
ton of butter and reported as milk
or but er fat contained.
The reported farm production OF
butter and of cheese in 1909-994, 651 ),
600 pounds and 100000 pounds, re
spectively-was considerably less than
the production for the year 1899 as
given in the published reports of the
twelfth census, but this difference is
doubtless due in part to the fact thai
the lat er included some estimates fol-
farms with incomplete reports. The
manufacture of butter and cheese is
however, gradually being transferred
from farms to factories. The com
bined farm and factory production Of
butter was 1913, 415,000 pounds in 100!
and 1,491, 753, 900 pounds in 1899 The
increase during the decade was thus
| 127 ,663, 900 pounds, or SO per cent
| The factory production alone increased
, 4S7 per cent OF the total product
T that made in factories cons 'ituted 49,,
{ per cent in 1909 and 2S.2 per cent il
1899.
The production of cheese on farmi
and in factories was 800, 532, 900 pounds
in 1909, an increase of IA per cent
4 At both censuses much the greater par
of the cheese was made in factories
but the proportion in 1909 (97.1 pc
cent? was higher than that in 1S9
GAS per cent?.
OF the total value of dairy product
in 1909 Excluding the value of mill
and cream consumed on the farn
where produced), the east north Ger
tral division reported S159, 674 900, o
26.S per cent, the middle Atlantic d
vision $3.50, 773,GOO, or 219 per CEN
and the west North central divisio
Sos, S25, 900, or 1872 per cent, thes
three divisions together reporting owe
two-thirds OF the to-al. It is probable
however, that the relative importanc
Of the home consumption of milk an
cream is considerably greater in tn
south and somewhat greater in tn
west than it is in the north.
According to the figures reported
the average production of milk pc
COW Chased on the number of dair
cows in 1910 on farms reporting mil
produced in 1909 and the guam sity {