PRODUCTS OF THE DAIRY. 33 



because of their economy, and because a better and more 

 uniform quality of cheese could be made than by the old. 

 process. The production of the article increased so rapidly, 

 that it became a problem of much importance where it 

 would find a market ; but this problem was soon solved by 

 the demand from Europe, which, from seven million pounds 

 (the amount of the exportation in 1870), increased, to 

 sixty-six million pounds in 1872, and in 1874 reached a 

 •hundred million pounds, — almost as much as was manufac- 

 tured in the entire country in 1850. 



The Europeans use cheese as an article of necessity ; while 

 the Americans use it as a luxury, or as a relish. A piece of 

 cheese the size of a cubic inch will satisfy the average Ameri- 

 can stomach, while your European customer will eat as much 

 as half a pound at a single sitting. Considering the greater 

 amount of nutriment in a pound of cheese than in a pound 

 of beefsteak, perhaps it may follow that John Bull has more 

 wisdom or economy than Jonathan. I saw it stated recently, 

 that the English consumption of cheese annually was about 

 ten pounds per capita, while X. A. Willard puts it at six- 

 teen pounds per head, and that, if a like proportion was 

 consumed in the United States, it would require an annual 

 production of seven hundred and fifty million pounds to sup- 

 ply the home demand, instead of about a hundred million 

 pounds, which is now consumed, — a quantity that it would 

 take some years to reach, even with the rapid increase of 

 production that has characterized the past ten years. 



BUTTEE. 



• A writer in one of our leading agricultural journals, under 

 date of July 5, 1879, says, " The prices of butter are lower 

 in this market (meaning Boston) than at any time during 

 the last twenty years. Dairymen are complaining that prices 

 are lower than the cost of production ; and the future pros- 

 pect is far from encouraging. The production has increased 

 so rapidly, that at no time within fifteen years has the mar- 

 ket been so overstocked with butter and cheese as to-day. 

 The shipment of butter to Europe has been on so extensive 

 a scale, and such has been the competition with the butter 

 of other countries in the British market, that prices have 

 fallen so low, that thousands of the lower classes have been 



