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Show j" DfllRYlNGl PROF. T. E. WOODWARD. THE .DAIRY SITUATION IN UTAH. Prof, T. E. Woodward, Agricultural College. Written for the Dcscrct Farmer. After spending sixteen months in the Southern States it was a decided treat to reach a. country where the climate is invigorating and healthful where the soil is fertile, and where the people arc prosperous and progressive. pro-gressive. To anyone coming to Utah from the South probably the most noticeable feature as far as the people themselves arc concerned is the small percentage of colored people in this state. Utah is certainly blessed In this respect, for negroes never help to build up a country and no country is better for their presence. Another thing quite in contrast to what is commonly found in the South is the general air of prosperity, especially among the farmers. Where a Southerner South-erner would be driving a poorly fed mule in chain harness hitched to a dilapidated wagon, the Utah farmer would be driving a team of good sized horses, with decent harness and a respectable re-spectable wagon. Everything in connection con-nection with the farm such as fences, crops, implements, stock, and buildings build-ings all show evidence of better care than is the case in the South. In regard to the dairy industry I was agreeably surprised at the extent to which it has been developed and also at the great possibilities which are- open to the dairymen of this state. There are in Utah, 51 creameries, cream-eries, 28 cheese factories and two con-densaries, con-densaries, besides numerous skimming-stations skimming-stations and several ice cream fac- torics. This is a very good "starter" indeed when we consider the amount ' of land in this state which is adapted to dairying. I have been asked the following question so often that I have decided to answer it in print. "Well, what do you think of Utah by this time," to which I have replied that in my opinion opin-ion it was far superior to the Eastern 1 States as a. dairy country and following follow-ing arc some of the reasons for making mak-ing such an assertion. As far as I can sec, the Eastern States have the advantage in only three ways: Their lands arc cheaper, their graz'ng season sea-son is a little longer, and their labor is cheaper. Utah has the advantage in possessing a more productive soil and a climate more a.vorablc to dairying. The pastures will support at least three times as many cows per acre as in the cast. Crops arc surer. The Utah dairyman can grow crops which will make it unnecessary for him to buy any mill feed; the eastern farmer cannot without great difficulty. It h not possible in the east with feeds at the prices which have prevailed for the last few years to produce milk as cheaply as is done here. As far as markets for dairy products arc concerned con-cerned there is but little difference in the prices received, although the Salt Lake market quotations for butter are at present several cents in advance of the Elgin market which is the basis of payment for most of the creameries cream-eries in the Central States. There i also a demand in Utah for pure bred j cattle at much better prices than arc obtainable in the East. This demand will continue to increase in proportion to the peoples' knowledge of dairying increases and the outlook for the few breeders which arc at present engaged in the raising of pure-bred stock is very promising indeed-. We need more of them. In conclusion I wish to say a few words in regard to our future work at the Agricultural College our platform, plat-form, if you please. We are convinced con-vinced that the greatest dairy need in Utah today as well as in most of tfie other states is not so much the improvement im-provement of the quality of butter and cheese, although this should receive due attention, as it is the improvement improve-ment of the dairy herds. It might be possible by the adoption throughout the state of the most approved methods meth-ods of handling the milk and- cream :to produce butter which would sell at several cents above what it is now bringing on the market; but I am sure that by the elimination of inferior cows from the dairy herd and by the use of a first-class pure 'bred sire of any of the leading dairy breeds it would be possible for practically every dairyman in the state to increase the production of his herd by at least one-half one-half and in a great number of cases it could be doubled. Where the improvement im-provement of the butter and cheese would mean cents the improvement of the herd would mean dollars. Our main object, therefore, will be to in- I crease the profits of the dairy farmers in Utah, and all our work cither in the College or Experiment Station will have this end in view. |