The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-06
DAIRY INDUSTRIES
FOR OLD VIRGINIA
Great Possibilities-No Danger
of Overproduction-Plenty
of Markets.

way spent tho great part OF Il day last
week In Harrisonburg. Those in charge
of tho train were w. w. Fitzpatrick
9. Il. Rice and c. NJ. Morgan. OF the
southern Railway Dairy Department.
ana they had with them y. r. Howard
inspector for the State Dairy and Pure
Food Department. Mr.. Howard told
the Rockingham County farmers who
visited the train while It was in Har-
risonburs some mighty interesting
things about the dairy business and
nc made them feel proud OF themselves
when he declared that Rockingham
ranks first among Virginia counties as
butter producer
Being asked for his opinion regard
ing dairyipg possibilities in Rocking
ram and the Valley. Mr.. Howard said:
This section should and probably
dairying sections of the whole country
with Its mild winters. it's long grazing
season. its abundant bluegrass pas
lures. Its rich lands for raising feed
and other natural advantages, l SEQ no
reason why IT should not be great
dairy country. Of course. | hear the
objection raised here, as 1t is raised
almost everywhere in the State where
carrying Is Just beginning, that the
labor involved is too great but this is
an argument that has two sides to it,
III man goes into the dairy business
type or cows. his profits from them
VIII be so much greater than his profits
from tho general run of scrub cows
mat he can afford to pay men good
prices for taking care Of them.
another feature Of the business is,
that Keeping on the farm practically
all of his crops instead OF buying fer
tilizer by the bag. buying it in tho
form OF feed for his COWS, the dairy
farmer is thus enabled to build up his
SOIL and raise more per acre than he
could do without the dairy and he Is
thus saving labor by not being com
PEELED to work over such large area
OF land to produce his crop"
Fertilizer ut Home.
Getting warmed up TO his pet sub
1ect Mr.. Howard, according to the re-
port continued:
raising farmer and the dairy farmer,
as far as maintaining his soil fertility
IS concerned. was recently Illustrated
by Dr. Rumcly. of Indiana In a paper
read before the Bankers Convention at
81. Paul He stated that when the
FARMER sold from his farm 1885 worth
or wheat at 90 cents per bushel he
sold 81 worth OF fertility, while mt 80
cents per pound. he could sell 500
worth of butter and only sell 81 worth
OF fertility This. of course. is on tho
assumption that the farmer is raising
All OF his feed on his farm. If he is
buying concentrates, he is adding to
his soil fertility all the time. This
section Is one OF the garden spots OF
Virginia, because for years It has been
n beef growing section and to a large
extent farmers have been feeding to
beer stock the crops raised on their
farms.
Now that the farmers of the Valley
are turning their attention more and
more to dairying. they are finding not
only greater profit than they found
In raising beef but they are undoubt-
edly improving their lands more rap
IDLY than they did by raising beef
No Danger of OvcrproductIon
Rockingham County In butter pro-
ductlon now ranks as the first county
or the State. there being two cream
cries that are producing over 10000
pounds of creamery butter per month
II has five plants for handling dairy
products, which is one sixth OF tho
number of plants in the State. There
need be no fear of overproduction in
the amount of creamery butter For
every pound of creamery butter made
IN inc State, we are shipping in from
the West at least ten pounds, and not
only is this the condition in Virginia.
but In all the Southern States, II being
estimated by experts OF the Agricul-
tural Department that twenty cities
OF the South consume three times as
much butter as the entire South pro
duces. So that 1t will be many years
before the South will be able to sup
ply its own dairy products
1T should also be borne in mind that
our cities are constantly growing larg-
er. that the demand for dairy products
is constantly increasing instead of
decreasing, and our markets year by
year are growing larger"
What Mr.. Howard said OF the pos
sibilities in the dairying line for Rock
ingham County will apply just as we'll
In seventy-five. at least, out OF the one
hundred counties Of Virginia and
therefore, that which he said at Har-
risonburg should prove very interest
ing reading matter all over tho State