SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE NEEDS FARM ANIMALS 53 



the southern creameries produce a grade of^butter 

 that is equal to the best of northern and western 

 product. It is estimated that at least 25,000,000 

 pounds of creamery butter are imported into the 

 South annually from the northern and western 

 states. The milk supply of most southern cities 

 is inadequate to the demand. In many cities 10 

 cents a quart is the prevailing retail price of milk, 

 and, in most instances, the product of a first-class, 

 up-to-date, sanitary dairy would command much 

 higher prices even than this. In some places, a 

 shortage of fresh milk of any quality exists, so that 

 large hotels are compelled to keep on hand a supply 

 of condensed milk to be used in case of emergencies. 

 When we consider the effect that the up-to-date, 

 advanced type of dairying has had upon the soils of 

 northern communities where dairy farming has been 

 practiced for a term of years, and when we consider 

 also the tremendous field open in the South for this 

 type of farming, the results to southern agriculture 

 from the addition of several millions of dairy cows 

 to its live stock supply can be readily imagined. 

 Both the direct and indirect results from the de- 

 velopment of an advanced type of dairying will make 

 for the financial betterment of the farmers. The 

 production of milk and butter for high-priced mar- 

 kets by the use of cheap feeds will bring immediate 

 financial results to the farmer, while the indirect 

 result from the application to the soil of the fer- 

 tility produced by these millions of dairy cows will 

 result in a permanent readjustment and the up- 

 building of the soil's producing capacity. Still, 

 many southern farmers have found dairying 

 in that section unprofitable. The reason for 

 this does not lie in the natural disadvan- 

 tages of the region, but is rather because the farm- 



