16 BULLETIN 1070, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



grade or purebred, or crosses containing Jersey blood, were the most 

 numerous. In 1912 the average dairy cow was valued at $47.81, 

 and in 1918 at $79.05. 



In 1912 and in 1918 about 9 per cent of all the farm receipts were 

 derived from the sale of dairy products. It is considered locally 

 that Catawba County is a fairly well developed dairy section, but 

 many of the farmers keep only one or two cows, principally for home 

 use, selling a small amount of butter or cream during the season of 

 highest production. In 1912, eighty-eight per cent and in 1918, 

 eighty-three per cent of the farmers sold some dairy products. 



Recently considerable interest has been taken in the further 

 development of the dairy enterprise throughout much of the Pied- 

 mont country. At the time the survey was made there was one 

 creamery in the area and several more were within a few miles of the 

 surveyed area. Cream routes have been established over the greater 

 part of the territory. 



Several bull associations have recently been organized, and a 

 number of high-class purebred dairy bulls have been brought into 

 the area by others. Most of the dairy cows here are of poor quality, 

 however, and altogether too many farmers fail to give enough atten- 

 tion to using good sires and to weeding out the poor cows from their 

 herds. 



In 1912, 5 per cent, and in 1918, 4 per cent of all the farm receipts 

 came from poultry. In 1912, the average number of chickens per 

 farm was 53; in 1918 the number had decreased to 47. All of the 

 farmers kept some poultry, but in spite of the efforts that have been 

 made to encourage "the keeping of poultry in the area, there were no 

 large flocks on any of the farms. 



In 1912 the receipts from hogs averaged $21 per farm; in 1918, $52 

 per farm (Table 5). The average number of brood sows per farm 

 each year was 0.7; that is, on every 10 farms studied there were 7 

 brood sows. The number of swine on farms in Catawba and nearby 

 counties of the Piedmont region has decreased continuously since 

 1880. The wisdom of this change in practice has frequently been 

 questioned; nevertheless it continues and apparently is becoming 

 more marked decade by decade. Only about one-half of the farmers 

 sold hogs or pork. It is questionable whether under existing con- 

 ditions much extension of hog raising could be recommended. On 

 many farms, however, more hogs could be kept to consume feed that 

 otherwise would be wasted. 



Table 12 shows the distribution of expenses on the farms for 1912 

 and for 1918. 



