VOL. XXV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., FEB. 8, 1890.
NO. 6
Winter Dairying In Indiana.
By R.   W*.   Furnas,  of  Iii_ianai-.il.*.   Read   lie-fore J
Marion County A. .V  H. Soe-iely at its January j
meeting. j
The problems which confront Indiana j
farmers are, I think, not easy of solution.
The money value of Indiana's corn crop
feer the live years ending with 1888 was
nearly 15 per cent less than the money
value of the corn crop of the live years immediately preceding, notwithstanding a
slight increase of acreage and an increased
yield of 10 per cent.
The money value of wheat for the live
years ending with 188S was 40 per cent less
than the money value of the five preceding
years, the acreage being nearly equal, but
the yield being about 10 per cent less for
the last than for the lirst live years.
With such facts staring Indiana farmers
in tlie face, tho question arises, "What are
they going to do about it?" Will yon answer: liaise hogs! Well, your hogs will
probably dio with cholera the week before
you expected to get tho cash out of them
with which to pa}* the hired man, and if
they don't, tho price is hardly satisfactory.
In fact, Indiana has virtually marketed
her corn crop through tho hog for the past
fifty years, and for twenty-five years tho
business has become less anil less .satisfactory. Will you say produce beef? A
member of a prominent livo stock commission firm at our stock yards telephoned
me yesterday that tho average stocK steers
(not corn fed) which will como threo years
old next spring, are worth not to exe-eeel
S27 per head. Those steers havo lived two
yearsand eight months, or '.170 days; so
you see thoy have increased in value at tho
rato of 2 7-0 cents per day. Bnt a part of
tho selling price must go to railroails for
freight, and a part of it to tho men who
have given their time to sell them. So it
is clear that any man who can figure a
profit out of that kind of farming in Indiana is a financier whoso ability entitles
him to be secretary of the United States
Treasury.
Tho fact is Ohio, Indiana and Illinois are
placed in the samo position by the vast
West and Northwest as Pennsylvania,
Xew York and New Kngland were placed
by Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, :30 yeius
ago. And Indiana will do well not to be
too slow in following tho example of Pennsylvania and Xew York in changing her
farming to meet her changed conditions.
But when you ask me to writo about winter dairying in this State, you asked me
to write of something that hardly exists.
True, a farmer hero and there near this city
is producing milk which is sold to Indianapolis dealers, but tho amount of milk
which now finds, or ever will lind, a market in this city is so small that it deserves
no consideration, whatever as a means of
furnishing a market that will enable any
considerable percentage of Indiana farmers
to become dairyman.
We have hero and there a gathered cream
creamery (all understand the term), as a
rule they bankrupt a set of stock holders
about every two years. I am not informed
whether the farmers who patronized them
become bankrupts or suicides. The fact
that in the best butter markets, gathered
creamery butter is quoted about five cents
below best creamery is of itself proof that
the business has a poor foundation.
Twoyearsagolealled on a creamery proprietor at Chesterton, 18 miles west of LaPorte. lie bought the wholo milk,running
all the year, making cheese and butter, or
both according to tho state of the market.
The prices he paid scarcely averaged for
the whole year five cents per gallon. lie
was an Englishman with all the pertinacity of his race, besides ho felt that he had a
mission in teaching the farmers to become
dairyman. lie told me and 1 believed his
statement, that his quite elaborate plant
cost him $5,000, and he also told me, and I
also believed this statement, that his actual losses in the four years  he  had   run,
amounted to over $0,000. He said (but I
was not so certain of the truth of this
statement) that his losses were largely due
to the insufficient supply of milk he had
been able to obtain, and he was hoping for
an increased supply of milk and i'lereased
prie*es of butter and cheese.
ln the matter of prices he has certainly
been grievously disappointed.
Another kiuil of dairying in our State is
by all odds t lie greatest in its magnitude.
The kind of dairying that produces the
country butter which farmers' wives swap
to country groe-ers for coffee, and they allow her 15 or 20 cents a pound for it, and
put two prices on what they sell to her so
as to save himself from loss (also to fool tho
farmer's wife). He then semis this fresh
country butter to a commission house and
gets four, six, eight or 10 cents per pound
for it—tlio last an exceptionally high
figure. This kinel of dairying is largely an
accident. Tlio farmer wants to raise a few-
calves and have milk for family use, and
the surplus is made into butter because it
elon't look well to throw tho milk away.
Another thing which increases tho production of this kiml of butter is that (I
have liveel most of my life on a farm but
<lo not speak from experience) a great
many farmers' wives either get their
spending money from tlio sale of butter
and eggs or have nono to spend, so they
increase tho amount of butter as much as
thoy can, regardless of cost in labor and
feed.
I have now spoken of three kinds of
dairying in Indiana, anil if I havo saiel anything that will induce an Indiana farmer
to take holel of either kind, it has been accidental.
Now, 1 believe that a farmer with 100
acres of gooel cleared lanel can support a
herd of 20 cows giving milk from September till June. If properly selecteel, without paying fancy prices, thoy should averago 200 pounds of butter for the season. A
wholesale market could certainly be found
which would net 20 cents per pound, making $-00 for the year's make of butter. Tho
additional products of tho farm, including
8,000 or 10,000 gallons of skim milk, would
certainly pay for tho hired help and tho
feed which tho farm would not raise. An
intelligent farmer could soon learn to
make butter equal to best creamery, unless
ho thinks he already knows, in which caso
the outlook is probably hopeless. Ho had
best not commence unless he can run 20
cows or more and make the production of
butter the business of the farm, and tlio
one to which all other operations of the
farm are tributary. He must not attempt
to dairy if any considerable amount of tho
necessary capital is borrowed, and by all
means ho should be the owner of tho farm
which he occupies; for day and night, rain
or shine, tho ever increasing fertility of
farm will bo so important an element in
tho final round up that he must havo the
benefit of it. I havo in my mind a farm
in this county which, twelve years ago,
was consielerod, with four or fivo exceptions, tho poorest farm in the township.
It has had a dairy on it for twelve years,
and I believe every neighboring farmer
would bear me out iu the assertion that
this farm, condition of weather and tillage
being equal, will produce twice as much
corn as it would twelve years ago; audit
is almost safe to say that a farmer who
makes winter dairying his business, intelligently of course, for twenty years will
have two farms instead of one, and that,
too, without buying any more land. I
think our winter dairyman shoulel put up
a silo for his first winter. I believe the
time will come when a dairyman will as
soon tliink of dairying without cows (by
the way, that is the way they do it in Chicago) as without ensilago. A letter written
me on the 8th of this month from D. 15.
Johnson, of Mooresville, who is going
through  his second  winter  in the dairy
business antl his first with ensilage, is enthusiastic in its praise.
The dairy farmer must expect to work.
He will have little time to swap lies at the
country steire. He must make the wholo
business a study, not foolishly jumping at
each new thing nor too conservatively
holding to the old. He must be careful of
the comfort of his hord, seeing that they
are alwavs kindlv treated.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Advantages of Oregon.
BY   W.   li.   Ml' I'ASl.IN.
It is the language of truth and not of exaggeration which describes Oregon as one
of the finest, grainiest and most glorious
sections of our grand republic. Little does
it matter whether to her that she lacks the
by-gone lore which poets, sophists, troubadours and romancers have been weaving
round the fells anel mountains, the riven-
anil shores of other lauds. Their sun has
set, while upon Oregon tho day of glory
is just beginning te> dawn, and tho sun of
her marvelous prosperity is shining more
brilliantly than ever before.
True, those (irccian Isles and Simian
head lands are gilded still with the same
eternal summer smiles of which poets havo
sung from Homer to Shelly. Tho (Jree-ian
skies are as blue and her snowy mountains
are as fair as in tlie fabled days of Sappho
and Orestes. Italy is as fair to-day as when
her sons subelued the world, anel l-'rance is
the same fair France for which Ca-sar and
l.olie contested. And yet all theso lands,
their mountains, rivers, lakes anil seas aro
no liner, no richer in production or scenery
than the States that line tho shore of tho
granel old Pacific.
Oregon possesses a territory more extensive than Great ltritain or the entire
New Kngland States. She is rich in soil
and mineral wealth, as well as commercial
advantages. Extending north and south
through the entire Stato is a range of glorious mountains. Somo parts of these
snow capped, forest clothed mountains
have rarely boen trodden on even by the
footsteps of tho savage. Stored away in
its bosom aro mines of gold and silver
which will enrich thousands in the present
and in future ages.
These samo snowy mountains aro the
source whence spring tho countless .streams
and rivulets that givo to tho multitudinous valleys of Oregon tlio prolific richness
of soil which makes them moro fruitful
than any other part of our country. In
the southwest part of the State lie Curry,
Josephino and Jackson counties, which arc
watered by tho Pogue river. Its valley
teems with undeveloped wealth. The
vine and tho peach are found there in unsurpassed luxuriance and lusciousness.
Klamath and Lake counties aro separated
from theso by the Cascade, mountains.
These aro rich in fruit and vegetable produce. Douglas county is larger than the
State of Connecticut, and there is still room
for a vast army of settlers to find happy
prosperous homes in tho rich valleys
watered by the tributaries of the Unipqua.
The Willamette river valley is the largest
of any in the State, and in it is centered an
exhaustless store house of manufacturing
power. Tho cities and towns that line its
banks are using its power to run their factories and mills that clothe and feed the
people. And everything which tho necessity or luxury of mankind needs can bo
produced from the exuberant soil of the
same Willamette valley. It teems with
vegetables, grain, fruit and dairy produce
of tho choicest kinds.
At Portland must center tho great manufacturers from whence Washington, Idaho,
Montana and the commerco of tho Paciiic
ocean must be supplied and.the manufacturing and commercial population will
draw from the lands to tho south and east
the finest of  agricultural  products.   The
population of Portland is growing very
rapidly. Largo business firms have teen
organized and are engaged in successful
businesses. The city increased in population during the year 1RS!> as many as 15,000
people and it is estimated that 20,000 people will locate here during 1890. Portland
is beautifully situated upon the bank of
tho Willamette river. It is a lovely city,
with a prosperous future in store.
Put a great curse which over-hangs our
country anel threatens ruin to our Republic, if not soon put down is raging to a
greater extent in our western sea-ports
than you can see in any other place, the
great curse of intemperance. Hundreds
of young men coining from good homes
in the east, to these cities, get disappointed
in obtaining a goe>d position without
spending sometime in waiting, or perhaps
without running short of means with
which to feed and clothe themselves. Thus
many become disheartened, and the saloons open to them their tloors, inside of
which you will find rooms nicely furnished,
line music, and everything which tends to
excite the passions of nature. In this way
hundreds are started on the way to ruin.
Only 25 per cent of tho young men in Portland attend church.
Oregon is blessed with cool, bright, de
liglitful summers whoso noontide heat is
always tempered by zephyrs that blow
over from the 1-oundless waters of the
great ocean. Thoso who have traveled in
other lands, whose footsteps have waked
the echoes in the streets of the old world
and whose eyes have seen what poets and
painters have been depicting for years in
tlie past declare that the Pacific northwest
equals them all. It is unquestionably a
line clime, for tho anient rays of tho summer sun, arc ever mado pleasant by tho
zephrs lhat blow over from the tepid witters
of the western wave, and the icy fangs of
winter are deaelened by the same warmish
bearing current. It is this marvellous
richness of soil, this boundless mineral
wealth, this beauty of valley and mountain, of river, lake anil sky that draw such
an immense i in migration to Oregon yearly.
 .    _»  ■	
Marion County A. and H. Society.
KJJtors Indiana Farme'r:
Annual report for tho year, ending December 188!), of the Marion County Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
('las.. Klitrie.-e.       Premium..
paiil.
I-'ieltl ami t-anlen proilnrt*.       1*3(1 eOi l_
Ifurlii'iiltmal        7') 1.'. I .
Domestic skill, culinary       m _•_.',
Special Pentiums         20 5 oo
Total        321 *72 _
III .KIITS.
I.ii-1-n-.o funil ret-e-iveil *_.*fl 5n
All oilier source1,. _    75 lis
Total *_7 31
I>1SI!UII__M1'*_."*__
Premiums paid,  s72 25
!•;_i>e*n..i*_ of fair,    _ 00
See*re*tary-s fees,    25 oo
Treasurer', fee's „   10 (10
Balance, _.._,    63 33
Total *2_ 58
Reports, discussions and papers wero
presented on the following topics, during
tho past year: Kami crops, ten; small
fruits, ten; live stock, six; orchards, live;
gardens, eight; insecticide, four: drainage, three; potatoes, ten; marketing,
three; domestic industry, two; citrus
fruit, two; agriculture, two; arbor day,
one; temperature, two; farmers' Institutes, three; fertilizers, two; entomology,
three; education, two; meadows and
grasses, one; corn, fodder and silage, two;
dairying, two; farm economy, two; public schools, one; antl in conclusion will
say much valuablo and useful information
has been obtained from the foregoing subject. K. J. Howland, Pres.
S. M. Patton, Sec'y.
 ■  »  ■	
The unmarried ladies of Massachusetts
havo ?29,000,000 on deposit in the savings
banks of their State.