ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN’S ASSOCIATION. 9 
of our country too hastily, especially so where we can obtain good water and 
the grasses. 
The question is frequently propounded as to the first manufacture of 
butter and cheese—a question not very authentically answered at the present 
time. Nevertheless, in turning our mind’s eye to the bible for a moment, 
we find m Deuteronomy mention made of butter of kine (meaning cow> 
undoubtedly); we also find that Samuel makes mention of butter and cheese 
of kine for David and the people to eat. Now, if the bibical history be 
correct, butter and cheese was made from milk of kine over 3,000 years 
ago, or about 1,000 years before that made by the Sytheans, the account of 
which is given us by the Greek historian, Herodotus, who lived and wrote 
about 450 years before Christ. The ancient translation of the Hebrew 
writers seem, however, to have thought that they found butter mentioned 
in scripture, but those best acquainted with the bible unanimously agree 
that the word ( Chamera ) means milk, or cream, or sour milk, and, attny 
rate, does not mean butter. Now, if this be correct, that butter and cheese 
was not known in early scriptural times, then the Sytheans will undoubtedly 
receive the credit of having made the first butter and cheese from milk, 
which, according to history, was made by them over 2,000 years ago. 
In passing from ancient to modern times, you will please allow us to 
give you a few statistics pertaining to what is being done by the dairymen 
in our country. The estimated number of cows in the United States in 1876 
was 11,085,400. The average price of same per head, twenty-eight dollars 
and eighty-nine cents; aggregating, in round numbers, to $320,256,206. 
. The amount of butter made in 1875 was 637,796,449 pounds’, which 
being estimated at twenty cents per pound amounts to $127,559,489.80. 
^ The number of pounds of cheese manufactured in 1875 being 
266,698,638, which at ten cents per pound would amount to $26,669,863.80. 
The consumption of butter in the United States is estimated at about 
fourteen pounds and that of cheese at nearly four pounds per head per 
annum in a population of about 45,000,000. 
Of the foregoing products Illinois is credited with about one-fourteenth 
she being the fourth State in the Union as per United States census of 
1870, in the amount of dairy products produced. 
The city of Chicago received in 1876, 35,384,184 pounds of butter 
and 23,280,000 pounds of cheese. Estimating the butter at twenty cents 
and the cheese at ten cents per pound, would make the trade of Chicago in 
this staple, amount to the snug little sum of $9,637,636.80. 
The exportation from the United States for 1875 was 10,405,434 
