MISCELLANEOUS ADDRESSES. 
239 
dairying, that an over supply will be the result ?” And they 
point us to the hop trade and the wool trade, and the pork and 
tobacco trade, and say, “See how these things go.” 
Of course no one can say positively that such will not be the 
case in the distant future, but I think we may safely say it is not 
likely to occur in the present generation. These same questions 
have been asked and the same fears expressed for the last forty 
years. I can remember, fully forty years ago, when the attention 
of the farmers of Herkimer county, Hew York, began to be turned 
to dairying, these same questions were asked and these fears ex¬ 
pressed. But you all know that their fears were groundless. The 
demand has been fully equal to the supply during these years, 
and I think it safe to conclude that, with the improved quality of 
our butter and cheese, the demand will keep pace with the sup¬ 
ply. Some of you may want to know my reasons for coming to 
such conclusions. I will give them briefly : 
We must remember that we cannot increase our dairy facilities 
at once as is the case with many other branches of agriculture. 
We can double our stock of swine in one year, and we can double 
our stock of sheep in two years, or we can increase the area of 
any kind of grain to any extent desired in one year. But not so 
with the dairy; it requires years to materially increase the milking 
stock of the country. 
Notwithstanding the large increase in dairy products in the last 
ten years in this country, the census of 1870 shows that since 1860, 
the increase of population was very nearly as great as the increase 
of dairy stock. 
And then, again, the increase in dairy products will be mainly 
in the west; indeed, it has been so for the last few years. Re¬ 
ports from the old dairy districts of the east show a decrease in¬ 
stead of increase in their products. A variety of causes ( have 
conspired to produce this result, among which abortion among 
the cows has a very prominent place. 
And here, gentlemen, is another cause for gratitude on our part. 
This scourge of the eastern dairymen has not yet reached us. 
Some of you may not be aware of the alarming extent to which 
this prevails among the dairy herds of the east. The commission 
appointed by the legislature of the state of New York to investi- 
