The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-08-20
THE DAIRY COW
By VI. a. Nye
Blue Valley Farm Service

LUZ etIISy soSINlCG
Milk, supplied by the dairy COW is
of far greater Importance and far
more valuable than all the oil wells
in the world, C. M. Long, of Chicago,
told the National Hay association in
session at Cedar Point, Ohio, last
week and cited many figures to prove
his statements.
"Some people think the dairy in
dustry exists in only a few scattered
communities and is of little conse-
quence as compared with other indus
tries. AS matter of fact, the value
of the dairy cows alone is about
$3.50, 100000, or over S200,000,00O
more than the total investment in the
automobile industry" said Mr.. Long.
eff we took all the gold mined in
the United States since 1885, W.
would have barely enough to pay for
the dairy products for the single year
of 1924. Again, if we took all the
wheat, corn, oats and rice produced
in America in 1924 and sold it, we
would have just enough to buy the
dairy cows and pay for their pro-
ducts for the same year. If we took
all the beef steers, pigs and lambs
produced in the United States and
with all their dams, and sires, put
them on the market, we would lack
S50O,06O,OO0 having enough to pay
the dairy products produced in that
year.
"Let us see what it would mean
to your community if oil were dis
covered" said Mr.. Long. "There
would be a great rush of people. Both
the morale and morals of the COM
munity would be lowered. The coun-
tryside would be covered with ugly
derricks and unsightly shacks. A few
people would become rich. The great
average of the community would not
be any better off than before. In a
few years the last drop of oil would
be pumped out of the last well, and
there would be an exodus of the oil
chasers. Now look at the other pic
ture. Instead of the oil gusher you
have the dairy COW. The country
side would be marked with stately ST.
los, fields covered with waving crops
of corn, alfalfa and clover, big red
barns on every hilltop and beautiful
homes. The discovery of milk would
cause no one to become Immediately
rich, but the average citizen would be
independent, happy and contented.
In a few years the land would be
richer and would continue to get
richer unit the community would
support a population almost equal to
that of a city. Go to Ohio, Mich
gan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and
you will see the. latter picture.
"Some generations ago Denmark
was poverty stricken. Then came the
dairy COW. Today Denmark is the
richest country per capita in the
world. The COW did it.
"In our own country two genera
tions ago, Wisconsin was bankrupt.
The dairy COW was brought to this
state, and today Wisconsin is the
most prosperous commonwealth in
the United States, the greatest dairy
state in the union. Her farmers are
prosperous and contented. During
the 1920 slump Wisconsin sent $780,
100000 to the Federal Loan Bank of
Chicago. In the last 20 years Wis
consin has not had a bank failure
attributed to business causes.
"Another example is Steele county,
Minnesota. Crops had failed. The
soil was depleted Conditions grew
worse until the bankers had better
claim to the land than the man who
lived on it. One day a farmer tried
to borrow money to buy dairy cows.
The banker finally let the farmer have
the money. The cows were purchas-
ed. The loan was soon paid. The
soil began to improve. Then another
farmer did the same thing and still
more farmers. Three years ago l
learned of the prosperity that came
to this, the smallest county in Mime
sofa, having only an area of 432
square miles and population of 49,
O6O. Their bank deposits were about
$400 per capita. They had $4,000
cows on 800 farms, or 10 cows for
each farm, one COW for each inhab-
liant and these cows produced s.