30 
WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
either the families of sire or dam, and for fattening are almost 
equal to the full bloods. I would not advise even the purchase 
of blooded stock of the most celebrated and fashionable families 
for the common farmer, for I believe equally as good animals for 
the dairy or butcher may be obtained at a less price from families 
of pure bred stock and of equally desirable points for profit. Of 
course, if you wish to grow stock for sale, to breed from, only 
pure thoroughbreds should be used. No grade males should 
ever be used if you desire to improve your herd. 
There is no longer an excuse for the scrubby, unprofitable stock 
of the country being continued, when by co-operation and the 
wise expenditure of a few hundred dollars the best thoroughbred 
and grade cattle and other stock may be procured. 
What I have here said relative to the short horn cattle is sub¬ 
stantially true of all animals reared upon the farm. The best are 
the cheapest. 
DAIRYING. 
This important branch of industry is rapidly increasing. The 
number of cheese factories in the state, so far as ascertained, is 
sixty-five, with an annual product in round numbers, of three 
million two hundred thousand pounds of cheese, and some twen¬ 
ty thousand pounds of butter. 
From observation and information obtained from reliable 
sources 1 am fully convinced that no branch of farming has paid 
better in Wisconsin for the past five years than dairying. This 
interest has been mostly confined to cheese manufacture, very 
little butter having been produced for export. I doubt not how¬ 
ever, that this branch of dairy farming might be made highly re¬ 
munerative, as transportation would be much less, not to exceed 
9 
one-third to one-half the cost of the tariff on cheese, compared to 
the value of each in the eastern markets. Associated effort in 
this direction will, I have no doubt, soon be introduced, and but¬ 
ter factories spring up in various localities of the state, and be op¬ 
erated with marked success. 
From a statistical and practical review of the dairy interest in 
the United States for 1873, by X. A. Willard, Esq., who is the 
