MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
395 
poses. This leaves a population of 9,000,000 
not included as consumers. In addition, the 
exports are estimated at 53,333,333 pounds, 
making the product aggregate as before 
stated, 1,440,000,000 of pounds. 
NUMBER OF COWS REQUIRED FOR THE BUTTER CROP. 
You will see then, from this report, that 
my estimate, making the bntter product ab¬ 
sorb 54 per cent, of the entire milk crop of 
the country was no exaggeration, for at the 
rate of 200 pounds of butter per annum to 
the oow it would require 7.200.000 cows to 
make the annual yield of 1.440.000,000 of 
pounds. If, ns has been estimated, there are 
now 13,000,000 of cows in the United Stal es, 
54 per cent, would be a little over 7,000,000. 
CONSUMPTION INCREASES AS QUALITY IMPROVES. 
It has been observed, and indeed, the fact, 
seems to be beyond question, that as we im¬ 
prove the quality of our dairy products the 
consumption, per capita, increases, and this 
has been especially so in regard to butter, 
since the improvement wrought in butter on 
account of the introduction of the creamery 
system. 
A well-known dealer of my acquaintance 
illustrates this by a conversation which took 
place during the past, summer between him 
and one of Iris customers. The dealer had 
been supplying his customer with fresh 
creamery butter of the finest quality. One 
day the customer came into the store and the 
dealer inquired as to the quality of the last 
tub of butter furnished. The customer said 
there could be no fault found with the qual¬ 
ity, but that he should be obliged to discon¬ 
tinue its use, as a dollar per pound for butter 
was more than he could well altord. This 
statement very much disconcerted the deal¬ 
er, as he thought that some of his clerks, per 
haps, had carelessly sent up an erroneous 
and outrageous bill, and lie hastened to as¬ 
sure his customer that there must be some 
mistake, as there was no intention of charg¬ 
ing more than the market price, which was 
then some 83c. per pound. “ And,” said ho, 
“I asked my book keeper, with considerable 
trepidation, to turn back to the account and 
correct the error that had been.made.” Rut 
on referring to the books, it appeared that 
only the regular market price laid been 
charged and credited, and on announcing 
this to the customer, he acknowledged that 
indeed he had paid no more than the sum 
stated, but that the consumption of the 
creamery butter had been three times greater 
per day, by his family, than when sup¬ 
plied with the ordinary butter obtained of 
the grocer, and thus the cost might be said 
to average a dollar per pound. “ In other 
words,” said he, “your creamery butter is 
so delicious, that my family never seem to 
get enough to satisfy them, and a tub of but¬ 
ter vanishes like the dew.” 
PRICE OF BUTTER ADVANCINO ABROAD. 
Now, what is most remarkable, the price 
of butter lias been gradually rising in the 
English market for several yours past—two 
years, and especially during the present year, 
have complained oi the scarcity of this arti¬ 
cle. Butter imported into England from the 
Continent bus been quoted recently at 166 
shillings (sterling) per ewt., which would bo 
in the neighborhood of 40c., gold, per pound. 
This price offers an inducement to export, 
But in addition to this outlet for any sur¬ 
plus we may have, our leading merchants 
say that the time is close at hand when the 
entire demund for dairy product in the West 
Indies and South America will be supplied 
from the United States and will became an 
important trade. 
The American Grocer, in commenting on 
this trade, saysThe first requisite was 
transportation facilities to those ports, which 
are now established and increasing, while it 
is evident that New York will be more and 
more the chief distributing market of the 
world for dairy products, and will largely 
control the prices in all other markets.” 
We have recently learned what promises 
to be a good thing—viz., the laying down of 
butter in packages of tin. A package of bu t- 
ter thus inclosed, being sent from Denmark 
to London, from London to Bolivia, South 
America, and from there to New York, ar¬ 
riving at the Butter and Cheese Exchange 
of that city, and when opened and tested by 
the merchants of New York was found per 
fectly fresh, sound and sweet and in prime 
condition. I had not intended to go into an 
elaborate argument to prove that there is no 
over-production in dairy products. But be¬ 
lieving, as I do, that dairy farming rests upon 
a substantial basis and still offers a prospect 
of fair remuneration, it seemed proper to 
give some facts at least, from which my 
opinions are made up. 
The statistics presented, I trust, are suffi¬ 
cient for dairymen to fully appreciate the 
situation and at the same time give the pub¬ 
lic a correct idea of the importance of this 
interest ns compared with other branches of 
industry. 
THE BURTHEN OF 1874. 
The dairymen of New York commenced 
the season of 1874 wit h a very heavy burthen 
in the year’s account against them. For the 
previous 25 years I do not remember a more 
serious draft against the profits of the sea¬ 
son’s operations in Central New York than 
that which had accumulated as the herds 
went to pasture last spring. It w ill be re¬ 
membered that the yield of hay in 1878 was 
much below the average over a wide extent 
of country. It was very light throughout 
the great dairy Counties of the State, neees- 
sitat lng a reduction of the herds. The value 
of dairy stock had so depreciated in the fall 
that good cows, “ for wintering over,” could 
be bought for from 812 to $20, while young 
stock and second rate animals were often a 
drag at half that sum. Those who were ob¬ 
liged to sell magnified the capacity of their 
hay and other fodder, and the herds went 
into winter quarters with an insufficient 
amount of food to carry them through, To 
make the situation still harder, snow fell on 
the 7th of October and feeding commenced 
nearlj 7 two months earlier than usual The 
winter was prolonged an nnusual length, so 
that the herds did not get fairly out to grass 
until June. Hay and feed of all kinds were 
enormously high, and thus you see, with the 
coat of fodder and grain purchased to carry 
stock through, with the increased number 
of animals purchased to fill up the depleted 
herds and the general poor condition of 
stock in the spring, resulting from parsimony 
in feeding—the dairymen found that their 
stock had accumulated a heavy bill against 
their earnings. Indeed, many cows in their 
condition did not begin to yield their best 
until the season had well advanced. If r 11 
these items enumerated be taken into ac¬ 
count and set down against tlm receipts of 
the present year, many of our dairymen will 
find very meager profits resulting from the 
summer’s operations. Still, the result of the 
year may ho considered as giving good cause 
for satisfaction, since prices for dairy pro¬ 
ducts have been uniformly higher than wore 
anticipated, while in addition we go into 
winter with an immense hay crop. We 
therefore have abundant reason to feel en 
courugod at the prospects for 1875, that dairy 
farming still vests upon a sound basis, and 
promises as good returns as any branch of 
farm industry. 
WHY FARMIN0 DOES NOT PAY. 
In this connection it may nob be out of 
place to allude to an impression fast gaining 
arround among farmers Unit “ Farming does 
not pay.” The Western farmers lay the 
cause of their troubles at the door of the rail¬ 
roads and the Implement makers, and the 
dairymen of the East complain that the 
prices for dairy goods are too low. But the 
question may lie asked whether the difficulty 
does not He partly in another channel - 
whether the extravagant and wasteful style 
of living which many farmers have of late 
adopted is not the cause of small profits real¬ 
ized from the farm ? 
If farmers spend much of their time away 
from home, intrusting farm work to hired 
labor ; if they indulge in expressive equip¬ 
ages and endeavor to make the income from 
a $10,0011 or $20,000 farm pay for a style of 
living that is hardly afforded by those who 
have accumulated large wealth, disaster, 
sooner or later, must be expected. I know 
of several instances of farmers and dairymen 
during the past year, who have been sold out 
by the sheriff, and in evoiy ease the trouble 
came from inattention to business and the 
indulgence of numerous expenditures that 
the prudent ami economical farmer avoids. 
Indeed, wastefulness, and the “livingbeyond 
one’s means,” is a fault pervading all classes 
of society, and this of ten leads to dissatisfoc- 
tion und a want of faith in one’s business. 
RESULTS OF ECONOMY. 
A few weeks ago 1 was conversing with a 
friend—a dairyman of Herkimer County, 
now about 45 years of age—who has a farm 
of nearly 300 acres on some of the best soil in 
the country. At 21 this man commenced 
without a shilling, and he has brought up a 
large family and is now the possessor of an 
ample fortune, every cent of which was 
made at dairying. I asked him how he had 
been able to accomplish such results, and his 
reply was, “ Simply by the practice of ec on 
omy and by strict attention to business.” 
He had denied himself none of the solid, sub¬ 
stantial comforts of life, but he did not in¬ 
dulge in costly buildings, showy equipuges 
and all their attendant aud corresponding 
needs until he was able to do so. “I rode in 
my lumber wagon,” said he, “ until I could 
see my way plainly out of debt.” It is true, 
farming docs not pay like many other kinds 
of business. A “40-cow dairy” farm will 
not yield so much money as Henry Ward 
Beecher gets for preaching, nor perhaps so 
much as is naid the President of a railroad 
company or the cashier of a bank. But we 
cannot all be preachers or railroad men or 
bankers ; and because A has 810,000 a year 
to waste in indulgences there is no reuson 
why B, with a smaller income, should fall 
into the same habits. The farmer doubtless 
pays too high n price for labor ; but notwith¬ 
standing, dairymen with this year’s prices 
for daily goods, ought to save some money 
from the business. 
BUTTER COWS AND EXTRA FEEDIN0. 
At the Indianapolis Butter Convention in 
June last, I endeavored to show from my 
own experiments and from those of distin¬ 
guished European scientists, that the real 
butter cows must be sought for in particular 
animals or breeds noted for this peculiarity 
and not in extra feeding. The assumption 
was simply this—that every oow ia capable 
of giving milk up to a certain standard of 
richness, and that her milk mufit have a cer¬ 
tain standard peculiar to herself, and that 
its richness above that standard can not he 
materially increased by special feeding ; spe¬ 
cial feeding might and did increase the quan¬ 
tity of milk, but the relative constituents in 
a given quantity remained about the same. 
Certain members ef the Agricultural press 
have taken exception to this statement and 
have labored to have their readers inferthat 
I am opposed to good feeding and that my 
assumption is that sawdust and swill slops 
or any kind of poor food will make just as 
rich milk as good grass or good hay and corn 
meal 
Now, no assertion of this kind has at any 
time been made by me. My proposition is 
substantially this:— 1 Take any cow in good, 
thrifty condition and place before her clean, 
sweet, nutritious food in abundance—such 
food as is capable of supplying all the ele¬ 
ments of milk and at the same time of keep¬ 
ing the cow in health and flesh and in good, 
thrifty condition, then we shall be able to 
find out the quality of the milk she is able to 
yield, and that no addition to this normal 
fodder by way of extra feed will alter mate¬ 
rially the standard quality or richness of the 
milk. The extra rations may increase the 
quantity of milk, but the relative constituents 
in a given quantity will remain about the 
same. I allude to this subject hero because 
it is a matter in which there may lie differ¬ 
ence of opinion and on which perhaps facts 
of value may be elicited in discussion before 
the Chautauqua Dairymen’s Association, in 
which it was stated t hat the balance of opin¬ 
ion was against Llio doctrine announced, and 
I was somewhat astonished at the summary 
manner at which tins conclusion was arrived 
at. Nota single exact experiment was given 
but on the other hand, such statements as 
this were made:—“One farmer, by high 
feeding, was able to get an annual yield of 
300 pounds of butter per cow, besides supply¬ 
ing his family ; while many others were not 
able to get more than 150 pounds per cow.” 
Now, what made the difference ? Could it 
be attributable alone to quantity of milk, or 
did his habit of high feeding also increase 
the richness of the milk ? and the conclusion 
was that it was the latter. 
'This [Hits me in mind of the conclusion ar¬ 
rived at by another honest old farmer on 
another question, and it was in this wise ; 
A certain grocer in a certain country vil¬ 
lage keeps a brown jug near his eider barrel, 
and when ho wauls to do a fair tiling by a 
customer he mingles some of the contents of 
the aforesaid jug with the cider. He re¬ 
cently made a mingle for an eld farmer, but 
got in a great deal of whisky and a very 
little cider. The farmer was particularly 
fond of good eider, and about an hour after 
drinking he was observed leaning against a 
fence and wus hoard to soliloquize as fol¬ 
lows : 
“ It is too late for sunstroke and too early 
to freeze to death, and I guess it is a touch 
of the shakin’ ager.” 
Now, a good many farmers jump at con¬ 
clusions by a similar process of reasoning ; 
and in the case of the two dairies referred to, 
the one may have been a choice collection of 
butter cows and the other a miscellaneous 
lot; the one herd may have had very careful 
treatment, and the other harah usage and 
neglect. 1 have known the simple employ 
ment of a dog on a dairy farm decrease the 
yield of cheese per cow nearly 100 pounds per 
annum. There are numerous circumstances 
that could be named why one herd should 
yield more than another, and yet not be at¬ 
tributed to extra quality on account of extra 
feed. But if you are to put a herd on an 
overstocked pasture, or upon food that does 
not supply the requisite elements for making 
good milk, then as a matter of course the 
milk will be poor, ns the animals will draw 
on their own flesh to help make up the defi¬ 
ciency in food. I believe in good, liberal, 
generous feeding, but I do not beiiovo that 
any amount or character of feed will make 
a poor milker give as rich milk ns the Jersey, 
and tke first thing a butter milker should do 
in selecting cows is to test the quality of 
milk which each cow gives. Let him not 
depend wholly on corn meal and other ex¬ 
pensive foods, but let him recognize the fact 
that there is u difference in cows. When I 
first commenced dairying, a farmer, living 
about six miles from mo, bought of a drover, 
in spring, a cow at an enormous price. But 
he bought it on the warranty of the drover 
that she would give two pails of milk at a 
milking. Well, after the oow calved, she 
was tested in the presence of witnesses, and 
she did give the quantity named, but the 
milk was so thin and watery that it threw 
up scarcely any cream and would not make 
bntter. The purchaser endeavored to turn 
the cow back on the drover’s hands, on the 
ground that the milk was good for nothing ; 
but as the drover had warranted quantity 
and not quality, the purchaser had to abide 
by his bargain. 
THE HEED OF EXPERIMENTS. 
What is needed among farmers and dairy¬ 
man is more accurate observation and ex¬ 
periment. It is no wonder that we hear 
Conflicting views when theories are built 
upon guesswork and conclusions arrived at 
from false premises. A good deal that makes 
up our current agricultural literature is opin¬ 
ions rather than facts. Give me nil the fasts 
in a case and I can make up my own opinion. 
Mere opinions of ten mislead because they are 
taken as facts. Some people are incapable 
of making an accurate experiment, because 
they do not property weigh all the eirenin¬ 
stances connected with it, and because they 
allow prejudices to warp facts and twist 
them in a certain direction. They do not, 
seek to learn truth for it* own lake, but are 
looking only for those points which seem to 
fortify a preconceived opinion or prejudice, 
neglecting the more important circiunsrnncos 
in the investigation which arc the real basis 
for obtaining the truth and overthrowing 
error. They are like Douglas Jerrold’s con¬ 
servative “ A man who will not look at the 
New Moon out of respect for that ancient in¬ 
stitution, the Old one.” 
DEATH OF HON. J. STANTON OOUIO. 
Tn closing 1 cannot omit to bring to your 
attention the sad loss that the dairymen and 
farmers of 'this e.-entry have sustained in 
the death of Hon. John Stanton Gould. Mr. 
Gould was a distinguished scientist, a close 
observer of nature, a man of extensive and 
varied learning, and especially in all that 
pertains to the different branches of agricul¬ 
ture. He had gi eat command of language, 
and was one of t-l e clearest, expounders of 
progressive rgrirulture, both with the pen 
and upon t he platform, that the country af¬ 
forded. He devoted much attei t ion to farm 
machinery and implements, bis work on the 
plow being the most able and elaborate of 
any that has been written. He was an ac¬ 
complished botanist, and Ills work on grasses 
is a monument of learning and research in 
this branch of agriculture. But-, above all, 
ho was a noble specimen of manhood—frank, 
generous, courteous in manner, a good friend, 
whose companionship always gave pleasure 
and instruction. 1 had known Mr. Gould in¬ 
timately for many years, and can bear wit¬ 
ness to the qualities of heart and mind 1 have 
enumerated, and lean say to you that agri¬ 
culture in his death met witli a great loss— 
one. which will not easily be repaired. A 
year ago Ire was at our Convention in Chau¬ 
tauqua and gave the annual address before 
the Association. As a, member of our Asso¬ 
ciation, and in fond remembrance of his val¬ 
uable services to dairymen and to agricul¬ 
ture at large, it is fitting that t his Convention 
show a proper recognition of his loss by the 
appointment of a committee, to draft resolu¬ 
tions expressive of his worth and of condo¬ 
lence at his decease. 
Gentlemen, there are a number of distin¬ 
guished speakers engaged to address you oil 
various topics connected with the dairy, and 
the freest discussion of questions presented 
is solicited. But that our sessions may be 
made useful and satisfactory to all, it is im¬ 
portant that, order and decorum be main¬ 
tained, and I shall rely upon your kind aid in 
helping me to carry out the duties devolving 
upon me in presiding over your deliberations 
on this occasion. 
Mr. E. J. Wickson then moved the ap- 
apointment of a committee, to report resolu¬ 
tions expressive of the feelings of the Asso¬ 
ciation upon the.death of J. Stanton Gould. 
Dr. E. u. Crafts of Broome Co. then read 
an able paper upon the physiological ele¬ 
ments of food, which led to a somewhat 
lengthy discussion upon the quantity and 
quality of food and the results of low and 
special feeding upon the product. 
Prof. Roberts ol' Cornell University of¬ 
fered to carry on a series of experiments in 
feeding, under the direction of a committee 
of the Association, who should report the re¬ 
sults at the next Convention. 
The attendance so far has been excellent, 
and the most careful attention and interest 
ia manifested in the proceedings, the con¬ 
clusion of which will be given in our next. 
G. A. O. B. 
c 
