303] BUTTER-PRODUCING AREAS 79 



butter from 1800 to 1880. After 1880 the production of 

 butter in New York declined rapidly until, in 19 10, the 

 amount produced was only a little more than half the pro- 

 duct of 1880. Between 1880 and 1890 the state of Iowa 

 increased its production by over a half and remained the 

 largest butter-producing state for two decades. In 1910 

 the production in Iowa had decreased by about 12 million 

 pounds and in Wisconsin it had increased by about 25 mil- 

 lion pounds as compared with the previous census amounts. 

 Wisconsin, at the last census, therefore, was the largest 

 butter-producing state. The maximum amount of butter, 

 however, produced by any state as reported during census 

 years, was produced by Iowa in 1900. 



In view of the fact that the states vary greatly in size, 

 the boundary line of the state as the area of production, 

 does not give a correct picture of the distribution of the 

 butter industry. A better idea is obtained by taking the 

 square mile of land surface as the unit of production. 

 When this is done it is seen that Vermont is the greatest 

 butter-producing state in the country. In 1899 Vermont 

 produced over 4^ million pounds of butter to the square 

 mile of land area. In 1909 the production per square mile 

 dropped to a little less than 4 million pounds. No state 

 has ever produced an average production per square mile 

 as high as this. The nearest approach to this record was 

 2y 2 million pounds which was the average amount per 

 square mile in New York in 1879 and in Iowa in 1899. 

 Vermont has held the record of production per square mile 

 since 1879. At that time the production per square mile 

 was a little over 2 J / 2 million pounds. 



The production of cheese has also moved westward. 

 Cheese production, however, is less scattered than butter 

 production. Cheese manufacture has been transferred 

 almost entirely to the factory and it seems that good-will 



