REPORT OF STATE DAIRY COMMISSIONER 421 



In many instances, these cattle went into communities as the first 

 representatives of their particular breed and in such cases have 

 acted in retarding the development of that breed rather than increas- 

 ing its popularity. 



Our Iowa farmers have not been accustomed to paying the prices 

 demanded by breeders for the highest producing quality of dairy 

 cattle, hence they have been inclined to buy representatives of that 

 breed that they could secure for their price. This condition, together 

 with the fact that we have had too many speculators shipping in 

 cattle from terminal stock yards bearing the marks of dairy breeds 

 and sold as high-grade dairy cows, have been severe detriments to 

 the industry. 



Figures alone give us an idea of the actual amount - of money in- 

 vested by Iowa farmers in dairy cattle during the past year. Accu- 

 rate figures from Minnesota and from Wisconsin for the year ending 

 June 30, 1922, show some surprising facts. Dr. S. G. Eliason, state 

 veterinarian of Wisconsin, reports that 5,379 head of dairy cattle 

 were shipped into Iowa during the year mentioned, the total valua- 

 tion of which amounted to $516,240.00. Dr. Charles E. Cotton, sec- 

 retary of the Minnesota Live Stock Sanitary Board, reports that 

 during the same year Minnesota sold into Iowa 6,001 head of dairy 

 cattle valued at $558,260.00. These figures show that from Wis- 

 consin and Minnesota alone Iowa purchased 11,380 head of dairy 

 cattle at a valuation of $1,074,500.00. When we consider that many 

 cattle were imported from Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and other neigh- 

 boring states, it is a safe estimate that our farmers purchased better 

 than a million and a half dollars worth of dairy cattle or approxi- 

 mately 15,000 head. This amount of money was sent from the state 

 during a year that our banks were supposedly harder pressed than 

 any like year in their history. 



These figures and the statements mentioned before would indicate 

 that Iowa is very rapidly turning from beef raising to dairying. I 

 do not want to give the impression that such a rapid change is being 

 made. We must consider that a percentage of the men making this 

 original investment in dairying are not dairy men, will not be per- 

 manently interested and many will be out of the business within a 

 very few years with little profit to show for their experience. 



BREEDERS DEMONSTRATE POSSIBLE PRODUCTION BY TESTING 



The dairy breeders of the state have been doing a good job of 



bringing the producing ability of our representative breed more 



definitely to the attention of the milking farmers. The Holstein 



