HOW CAN WE COMPETE WITH THE WEST IN DAIRYING. 41 



cent, (New England, 1850, 608,219; 1890, 822,001; Northern 

 Central States, 1850, 1,564,219; 1890, 8,240,999). Indeed the 

 increase between 1880 and 1890 in the number of cows kept in 

 the Northern Central States was 53 per cent as against 35 per 

 cent increase in 40 years in the New England States. This 

 increase was three and a half times the total number of cows 

 now held in New England (Northern Central States 1880, 5,402,- 

 081 ; 1890, 8,240,999). 



Products. Eight times as much milk, 8}4 times as much 

 butter, and 12^ times as much cheese was made in 1890 in the 

 Northern Central States as in the New England States, (New 

 England, 338,91 1,582 gallons milk ; Northern Central States 2,- 

 719,414,765 gallons. New England, 77,240,024 pounds butter ; 

 Northern Central States, 650,551,588 pounds. New England, 

 9,107,034 pounds cheese ; Northern Central States, 110,225,861 

 pounds). 



The milk, butter and cheese products of the Northern Cen- 

 tral States during the census year were 52, 54^ and 43 y 2 per 

 cent respectively of the total productions of the entire country, 

 while those of the New England States were respectively but 

 6j4, 6}4 and 3^ per cent. 



If, however, we turn to the data showing the number of 

 cows and the production per square mile, we find that the differ- 

 ence between the Western States and the New England States 

 in this respect is purely one of area, that New England is out- 

 classed because of its small expanse of territory. We find 

 Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut ranking 

 among the forty-eight states and territories 4th, 7th, 5th and 3rd 

 in the density of cow population ; 1st, 9th, 13th and 4th in but- 

 ter production per square mile, and 3rd, 15th, 5th and nth in 

 cheese production per square mile. Only two of the twelve 

 Northern Central States rank less than 10th in density of cow 

 population, but four out of twelve rank less than 10th in butter 

 production per square mile, and but five out of twelve leSs than 

 10th in cheese production per square mile. 



These figures are doubtless not new to this audience. They 

 serve, however, to show that the volume of New England's 

 dairy production in proportion to her area compared favorably 

 with that of the West in 1890. Yet we should remember, how- 

 ever, that dairying has taken great strides in the Dakotas, 

 Kansas, Nebraska and Minnesota since 1890, that there has 

 been but relatively small increase in the volume of New Eng- 

 land's business in this respect, and that the figures given are 

 low of truth when applied to to day's conditions. 



To all intents and purposes, New England sells its dairy 

 products at home only. This of itself, however, is a great and 

 ample market. But more and more each year the goods of the 



