AMERICAN DAIRY PRODUCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2095, 27 March 1889, Page 2

AMERICAN DAIRY PRODUCE.

Am°rican dairy Interests are startlingly enormous They represent au investment of nearly twenty -five times the entire banking oapital of the country— that is to say, tho B_nk capital is a little less tha i £196,203 000. while the dairy Interests amount to more than £600,000.000. <_f course, onr readers cannot swallow suoh frightful figures m a lump, and we therefore arrange them m several smaller, but still heroic doses. The number of milch cows is estimated at 21,000,000. They give an average of 350 gals of milk annually This would give an aggregate milk production of 7,350,000 000 gala , a miniature ocean, a fair-sized Niagara Four thousand millions are used for cheese and tha remaining 2,650,000,000 pass through the adulterating hands of the milkman and grocer down tbe throats of 60,000,000 men, women and babies m the land of freedom The quantity of butter manufactured and used is about 1,350,000,0001 b, and of cheese 6,600,000. The value of American dairy products for the last year was nearly £100 000,000. This is £4,000,000 more than the value of the annual wheat yield, while it olosely approximates that of the maize crop, whioh is the most valuable of American farm products To supply this immense dairy herd 100,000,000 acres of pasture land are required, wor.h £60000,000 It is easy enough to see, therefore, that the 4,000,000 farmers m America are an important element of its national welfare and prosperity: