Dairying, largely and methodically conducted, 

 IS comparatively a new feature in the agriculture 

 of Kansas. Prior to rSgo the systematic produc- 

 tion and marketing of butter and cheese was 

 given at best only desultory attention, and those 

 identified or somewhat familiar with this industry 

 then did not, as a rule, esteem the returns there- 

 from of sufficient volume or importance to warrant 

 the outlay of any considerable sum of money for 

 improvement and extension along that line. 



The institution of skimming stations, cream- 

 eries and cheese factories, begun some ten years 

 since, has from the first pointed out that the use 

 of the better cattle was well-nigh imperative to 

 make the business profitable and at the same 

 time secure a product of superior quality. Through 

 persistent endeavor to have dairy herds of high 

 grades, if not pure bloods, the farmers and dairy- 

 men have been continually eliminating the more 

 unprofitable animals, and statistics for a period 

 of five years, ending with 1896, show that the 

 number of milch cows in the State decreased 

 more or less in each of those years while this 

 vigorous campaign of improvement was being 

 waged, but the figures also show that the value 

 of their product, instead of correspondingly de- 

 creasing, has actually increased in three of the 

 five years, thus making apparent that improve- 

 ment in the milch cows has been a most potent 

 factor in advancing the dairy interests of Kansas, 

 and to-day many have excellent high-yielding 

 herds, supporting the largest creamery in the 

 world, at Topeka, as well as the numerous 

 smaller institutions of like character scattered 

 here and there over the State. 



Since the good foundation has been established, 

 there have been steady growth and advance- 

 ment. In 1897 the number of milch cows was 

 552,530, or an increase of more than 7 per cent, 

 over the previous year ; in 1898 a gain of over 9.5 

 per cent, was made; the increase in 1899 was 

 almost 1 3 per cent ; in 1900 there were 28,400 more 

 than in the previous year, and the increase in 

 1901 was nearly 13 percent, making a total for the 

 State of 803,952, the largest in its history, a gain 



44 



