AMERICAN DAIRYING. 
481 
It must be evident, therefore, that the dairy is second in import¬ 
ance to no special agricultural industry of the nation. 
The associated dairy system now stretches in an almost unbrok¬ 
en line from the Atlantic to the Pacific; commencing in Maine it 
sweeps over New England, then throughout the Middle States it is 
the most important industry. Its foot is firmly planted in the West 
and Northwest. Crossing the Mississippi, it has pushed its way in¬ 
to Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska; even at North Platte, on the 
very verge of the rainless region, I last year found a prosperous 
cheese factory and large herds, owned by the accomplished widow 
of the late Post Master General Randall, associated with Hon. Mr. 
Webster and his son. Along the base of the Rocky Mountains and 
in the canyons and parks of that wonderful region, I have been 
surprised to find numerous herds and large dairies. In Lake Val¬ 
ley, on the shores of Lake Tahoe—one of the loveliest spots to be 
found in the Sierras—there are no less than thirteen dairies of 150 
cows each, on a tract eight miles wide by fifteen long. Here but¬ 
ter is made which commands a ready sale in Carson and Virginia 
City at 50 cents and upward per pound. The Mormons are devel¬ 
oping the business at Utah, and already they have factories and co¬ 
operative dairies. Then in California, as you know, all along the 
coast range, dairies have been planted. Even so long ago as 1870, 
I found here the largest dairy farm I had ever seen—the dairy 
ranch of the Shafter Brothers, embracing 75,000 acres, and having 
over 400 miles of fencing. There were upon it 3,000 cows in milk, 
and I rode more than 100 miles on private roads as smooth and as 
free from ruts as any in the old dairy districts of New York. This 
ranch has since that time been divided into three 25,000 acre dairy 
farms, each of which in turn is portioned out into dairies number- 
ins- 150 cows and where the choicest butter is made for the Cali- 
O 
fornia market. The climate here is admirably adapted to butter 
making, the temperature, winter and summer, never varying much 
from GO degrees Fahrenheit. 
The annual cheese product of :he United States now averages a 
little under 300,000,000 pounds, of which we export nearly 100,- 
000,000 pounds—92,000,950 pounds in 1875. The receipts in New 
York during 1875 were 2,322,015 boxes, against 2,040,575 boxes in 
1874 and 2,007,033 boxes in 1873. In round numbers the receipts 
in New York during 1875 were about 130,000,000 pounds. The 
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