Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1921-04-21
WAYS TO AVERT
DAIRY DISASTER
Hatch Asks Farmers of Wiscon-
sin to Take Seven Cau-
ti0uS Steps.

1 neIp prevent ulSISlcT ONorIak1ng the
dairy industry?
X. L. Hatch of the University of
! Wisconsin has an answer which he
| divides into these seven parts: (D
Stop using "oleo"; (2) use more milk
on farm; 60 make more butter: (4
Gull out Improbable cows; (5) adver-
| tise goods to increase consumption:
60 fight filled" milk, and 60 don't
buy Improbable condenseries and be
| left ''hOlding the sack
The first notable effect of the war
on the dairy industry of America,
and incidentally Of Wisconsin" said
Mr.. Hatch, lis the increased con-
sumption Of milk. During the past
five years population has increased
seven per cent, while consumption Of
milk mas increased nine to ten per
cent-pOssibly as result Of the sugar
shortage and of national prohibition.
THE second effect" he says, was to
convert the United States from an i'm
porting to an exporting nation of milk
products. Up to 1915 we imported
slightly more milk than we exported;
after that date we became an export
| ing nation.
Little. Milk Exported.
''The striking thing about our export
trade in milk is the relatively small
portion of our milk production that is
sent abroad. In 1915 but 10 per cent
of our total production was exported.
This increased in 1917 to 16 per cent
and in 1919 to 2.5 per cent. In 1920
it fell back to Is per cent.
"Of our total milk we use 35 per
cent as butter; 20 per cent as city
milk; per cent as cheese; per cent
as condensed milk per cent as ice
cream and 80 per cent on farms where
produced. At the highest point we eX-
| ported in condensed form the equiva
lent of 1,77OOOO,OOO pounds of whole
milk
"On October l. 1920, there was held
in the United States unsold the
equivalent of but $50 100000 pounds
of whole milk.
What Caused Milk Break?
1T was said that this unsold con-
densed milk was the cause of the
| sharp break in the price of whole
dairy cattle market
''Thus it is seen that one-twentieth
of our annual production of condensed
milk, or less than one-fourth Of one
| per cent of our total milk production,
was sufficient to turn the scales sharp
ly in the direction Of lower prices.
"This amount is so small that if
every man, woman and child in the
United States doubled his or her con-
| sumption this surplus would be alb
sorbed in single day!
Wrong Cause Assigned.
"The present decline in price cannot
be charged to OverprOduction of milk
and it is doubtful if it is due to
OverprOductiOn of condensed milk,
though this is assigned as the cause.
"What may be regarded as the most
striking influence of the policy of sub
stitution, practiced during the war,
! is the enormous increase in oleomar-
garine consumption.
Increased 'OleO' consumption is a
much larger factor in the price of
whole milk than is the accumulation
of one-twentieth of our total condensed
milk supply.
"Where did the fat for the manu-
| facture Of this extra 'oleo' come from?
! Certainly not from animal sources,
since conservation was being practiced
with 'meatless days
During the war period Importance
of vegetable oils greatly increased.
| The fat obtained from coconut oil
importation alone very greatly ex-
ceeded the amount of butter fat con-
tanned in our dairy reports.
Urges Use of Butter Fat
"From this and other evidence it is
clear that our dairy products surplus
resulted largely from the use of Coco
nut oil as a substitute for butter fat.
when export trade slackened, vege-
table Oil importation continued-hence
coconut oil has become the chief COM
petitor of the dairy COW. The one
| hopeful sign is the Stacking of COCO
nut oil Importation during the war
| just closed.
'The chief difficulty seems to rest
with condensed milk but in this case
our supply is being still further aug
mented by the addition Of coconut oil
to skim milk, from the manufacture
of butter Thus through the use Of
coconut oil the dairy COW is made to
compete with herself.
modified milk belongs in the same
garine and it should be regarded as
equally dangerous to the dairy in
dustry."