24 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



THE PRODUCTION OF MARKET MILK. 



BY MR. A. J. PIERPONT^ WATERBURY^ CONN. 



The New England cow was formerly kept by the New 

 England farmer to transform the grass of summer, and the 

 hay and stalks of winter, into milk, cream, butter and cheese 

 for the family. The butter and cheese were made in June, 

 when the succulent feed caused the milk to flow freely ; and 

 the cow was dried off in the fall, to save the labor of milking 

 and caring for the product through the winter. O generation 

 of ease and simplicity, why could I not have lived and labored 

 with you ! 



The rapid growth of our manufacturing cities has created 

 a great demand for dairy products. Butter and cheese are 

 supplied by the fertile west, but the God of the Pilgrims so 

 constituted milk that it could not stand shipment from the 

 west, and left the business of supplying fresh milk, for New 

 England's increasing population, to the New England farmer. 



It used not to matter how much milk the cow gave ; so long 

 as she milked easy, did not kick and was not unruly, she was 

 a good cow. When the opportunity came to sell a few quarts 

 of milk, the returns were clear profit. Feed cost nothing, for 

 they raised that. Labor cost nothing, for the farmer would 

 not be earning anything elsewhere during the time he spent in 

 milking and caring for his cows. As the population increased, 

 he sold more and more ; it was demanded throughout the 

 winter. Therefore, the silo was built to supply succulent feed 

 Ihroughout the winter. The crop-growing capacity of the 

 farms was taxed, and western grain had to be purchased ; 

 and gradually this grain has become a necessity, and grad- 

 ually soared in price. Outside labor had to be employed, first 

 at farmers' wages; but gradually the laborer found that work 



