CATTLE AND THE DAIRY 



mont, the "droving" (driving) of young cattle from 

 these States each fall became a big business. They 

 were commonly brought to Connecticut as two-year- 

 olds, and by feeding one winter with coarse fodder and 

 grain they made a sufficient gain to pay the "cost of 

 keep," were the right age to be fattened on the rich 

 pastures the next season, and were ready to be mar- 

 keted early the following fall. There was always a 

 demand for beef, and beef cattle could be driven long 

 distances to market, while there was relatively little de- 

 mand for dairy products and poor facilities for their 

 transportation. This gave cattle of the beef type a 

 prominence over what we now know as the dairy type. 

 Down to 1850 nearly every family living in the more 

 populous centers kept at least one cow and thus pro- 

 duced their own milk and butter. Such a thing as the 

 village milkman was unknown except in large cities of 

 the State, such as Hartford and New Haven. There 

 was little demand for milk and butter in the larger 

 towns until after the middle of the last century. 



The domestic cheese industry, however, early found 

 an important place in our farming. Our southern coast 

 towns and the West Indies made a market for cheese 

 that this country could supply more easily than Eng- 

 land, and with the development of the coast shipping 

 trade there was opened up a good market for cheese. 

 Then, too, cheese was a product that could be held 



DO 



