282 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



sold (luring Septeinher, 1917, for 1) cents per pounfl less than the 

 composite price of wheat, corn, oats, hogs, cattle, sugar, steel, 

 copper, cotton, lumber, paint, etc., etc., would warrant. 



"From whatever ba.sis you approach the business of feeding 

 cows for butter production, you find a record of a period of four 

 years (late 1913 to late 1917) of unusually discouraging condi- 

 tions. It is to be hoped that before the winter of 1917-1918 is 

 over, the dairy business will be so thoroughly liquidated that 

 there will again be fair profit in butter production. Can it be that 

 in times like these the world is unalile to pay a fair price for any 

 higher class fat than lard, cottonseed oil and oleomargarine? 



"When feed costs decline, however, as they certainly will, to 

 some extent at least, dairying should find itself on a very profit- 

 able basis." 



Farmers are not and may never be organized to protect them- 

 selves as well as are the labor interests. The most they know 

 about the eight hour law or eight hour day, is how they can get 

 two of these days into twenty-four hours. The public has be- 

 come so much in the habit of buying milk at less than its real 

 food value is worth, that they resent any increase in price, though 

 to the individual of ordinary common sense it should be apparent 

 that milk with all other food products must bring an increased 

 price in proportion to the increased cost of production. 



When you pay 14 cents per quart for milk, you would be re- 

 quired to pay for the same amount of food value in beef steak 

 23 cents, in eggs 26 cents and in oysters $1.20. There appears to 

 be little complaint or talk of trusts or combinations when the big 

 interests put round steak at 35 cents per pound, yet you should 

 pay 26 cents per quart for milk to get the same amount of food 

 value. 



On page 283 of this report I present a chart showing the part 

 of a dollar required to purchase as much food value as is con- 

 tained in one quart of milk. It is easy to understand that the 

 dairyman is not going to feed high priced feed products to cows 

 and sell his products out of proportion to other food products. 



As commissioner of this great commonwealth, I am interested 

 and have been using every effort to get the farmers to keep their 

 cows and retain their heifer calves so that this country may be 

 able to supply the necessary amount of fats for the army that this 

 war may be brought to a successful conclusion. 



