164 BOAED OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



that the dairy interests of the United States have passed 

 through the recent period of decline in farming and farm 

 products, in better condition, relatively, than any other 

 important agricultural specialty. If time permitted, an 

 array of facts and figures could be presented in support of 

 this statement which would convince any doubters. There 

 must be numbers here present who can substantiate this 

 assertion by their personal experience. A can of milk, a 

 tub of butter and a box of cheese, jointly and severally, 

 have a purchasing power to-day approaching much closer 

 that which they had ten, fifteen and twenty years ago, than 

 is the fact as to a bushel of wheat or corn, a barrel of 

 apples or potatoes, a carcass of beef or pork, a bale of 

 cotton or a cask of tol)acco. The srme is true of horses, 

 hay, wool, pelts, hides, tallow, poultry, eggs, wax, honey, 

 vegetables and fruits. 



This relative position gives to dairying a leading place, 

 which should be held. If it can be held, and if the reforms 

 and improvements suggested can be measurably attained, 

 dairy farming in the United States will maintain its place 

 as the most profitable, the most progressive and the most 

 intellectually stimulating branch of agriculture in America. 



Mr. Geo. M. Whitaker (of Boston). I want to supple- 

 ment the major's excellent address with a word. Compar- 

 ing the exhibit of seventeen years ago with that of to-day, 

 the one down stairs includes fifteen exhibits of creamery 

 l)utter, and, on the assumption that a creamery repre- 

 sents only twenty private dairies, the exliibit represents 

 three hundred dairies, and without doubt each creamery 

 represents several times twenty jn'ivate dairies. It seems 

 to me that it is well to bear that in mind, in connection 

 with the speaker's comparison of statistics. That figure 

 fifteen is comparatively small. It does not sound large, 

 but, if you bear in mind these fifteen exhibits represent an 

 immense number of dairies, the importance of our exhibit 

 to-day will be realized. 



While I am on my feet I want to say another thing. 

 Major Alvord has alluded to the food value of skim-milk. 

 I wish the people of Massachusetts, particularly in Boston 



