ANIMAL INDUSTRIES 233 



rolls, boxes, churns, butter-workers and the like, 

 different from those used elsewhere. 



In the mountains the dairies were established 

 largely on government land and have always been 

 chiefly owned by the operators. In the newer lands 

 of the alfalfa districts, there is also a large preva- 

 lence of self-owning dairy farmers. This fortunate 

 condition is one of the benefits of the establishment 

 of creameries and skimming stations which have 

 ruled out the necessity for much investment on the 

 manufacturing side required in pioneer days. This 

 has given the modern owner more time and sometimes 

 more money to secure better stock and to furnish bet- 

 ter feeding and care. 



Although dairying to displace the huge importa- 

 tion of butter and cheese from distant parts of the 

 world began very early, its progress must be counted 

 very slow. It took only about five years to shut out 

 grain and flour and only a decade or so to place Cali- 

 fornia in the front rank of wheat exporting states, 

 and even less to bring fresh fruit production to 

 the limit of local consumption. Imported dairy 

 goods, however, continued to move in freely until 

 the third decade of American occupation and has 

 never been wholly excluded at all seasons of the 

 year. 



From 1866 onward, local production of butter 

 increased and importations were soon reduced from 

 five million pounds a year to one million. It was not 

 until 1878, however, that local production of butter 

 first equaled consumption, exports at one season about 



