higher in New England and the Middle Atlantic states than in the East and West North Central states. This is of course due to the fact that hay and forage are in great demand in the east, and, having a high transportation charge, they can be raised more profitably in the east than in the middle west.

The census figures show that there is a slight change in progress as to the number of draught animals used in the big cities.

TABLE XIII

THE NUMBER OF DRAUGHT ANIMALS (HORSES, MULES, ASSES, AND BURROS) IN LARGE CITIES OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1900 AND 1910

In the largest cities of the United States, as table no. 13 shows, the number of draught animals is slightly decreasing due to the increasing use of the automobile truck. In all smaller cities, however, the number has increased during the last decade. To the extent that the automobile displaces the horse and mule, the demand for hay and forage from the city will be lessened. If this substitution goes on to any appreciable extent, much of the acreage in the eastern states now devoted to the growing of hay and forage can be released and made available either for the production of city-milk or bulky crops for which there is a strong demand.

That the acreage devoted to hay and forage in the eastern states is decreasing is shown by table no. 14. This is partially due to the fact that the yield per acre has steadily increased from 1879 to 1909. Table no. 12 shows that the increase in the average yield per acre during this time was .27 tons for New England and .22 tons for the Middle Atlantic states. The larger portion of the decrease in the acreage devoted to hay and forage, however, has been forced by an increase in the acreage of potatoes and vegetables. As table no. 14 shows, the percentage increase in the acreage devoted to potatoes from 1899 to 1909 was 29.5 in New England and 7.8 in the Middle Atlantic states. The percentage increase of the acreage devoted to vegetables during the same period was 27.1 in New England and 18.1 in the Middle Atlantic states.

In the light of these facts it is plain that butter production can not become intensified in dairy regions close to urban centers. The industry as a specialty must move to sections of the country where the soil, topography, and climate are naturally favorable, and where the influences

growing out of the centers of population are less strongly felt.

SOCIAL INFLUENCES

There are three aspects of society that influence the distribution of butter-producing areas-special training and skill in the manufacture of dairy products on the part of a large number of people, the people's attitude toward labor, and their attitude toward progress.

There are communities in Europe, notably in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, and in parts of England and Scotland, where the people have made butter and cheese for many centuries. The rural people of Switzerland, Scandinavia, and Germany are therefore well trained in the art of making butter and cheese. When these classes of people come to America they are very likely to engage in the line of pursuits with which they are most familiar. The expert information they have concerning dairy products is also likely to be communicated to their neighbors and through them result in a further develop

ment of the dairy industry. A great many Germans are scattered throughout Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and in Wisconsin and Minnesota there are a great many Norwegians and Swedes. With most of these people the art of making butter and cheese is a heritage that has been handed down to them by their ancestors.

The attitude of the rural population toward labor has much to do with making successful dairying possible. The classes of people above referred to are all industrious, intelligent, and thrifty. The women as well as the men do a day's work cheerfully and with dignity. Their intelligence enables them to appreciate the value of sanitary methods in handling dairy products. In sections of the country where the more intelligent agricultural population is indisposed toward manual labor and where the work has to be done, if it is done at all, by a class that is for the most part irresponsible, dairying can never be very successful.

The wonderful strides that some of the states in the north central group have made in recent years in the dairy industry is not alone due to natural and economic causes, but is without a doubt due in considerable part to the progressiveness of the people. The same could be said concerning some of the eastern dairy states. One need only read resolutions offered at dairy conventions to see how earnestly and enthusiastically these people attack all problems that confront them. Following is part of a resolution adopted by the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association in 1882:1

Resolved, That we recognize gratefully that the general public regard this Association and the dairy interest as among . . . the leading interests of the times; and we hereby pledge to each other that in returning to our homes we will profit by the thoughts and suggestions received here.

1 1 Vide, Report, p. 92.

Another resolution adopted by the Michigan Dairy Asso

1

ciation in 1901 1 is in part as follows:

Resolved, That the State Dairy Association hereby extends its congratulations to the state of Michigan, and particularly to the State Board of Agriculture on the completion of the long desired building for dairy instruction at the college. . . . This Association agitated the question of a dairy building for several successive annual meetings and we congratulate ourselves and the college that this agitation has finally resulted in the erection of a suitable building.

The aggressive efforts of dairy associations have done a great deal in arousing the lethargic members of the community, in securing favorable legislation, in educating the ignorant, in instilling in many the desire for a knowledge of agriculture and dairy science, in inspiring many to aspire to leadership in agricultural organizations, and in creating a medium of intelligence that makes rural life attractive and that tends to keep the young people on the farm. Vermont was the first state to organize a state dairy association. The Vermont Association was organized in 1869 and has had a very active history. It receives $1,000 state aid. Wisconsin organized its dairy association in 1872, and since then has added four other associations interested in butter and cheese products. The first association receives $3,000 state aid and two others receive $600 each, making a total of $4,200 state aid to dairy associations. The associations in Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota also receive large sums from the state. A review of dairymen's associations shows that the states that have made the greatest progress in recent years all have active dairymen's associations, and as a rule receive large sums from the state to carry on their propaganda of education.

1 Vide, Report, pp. 108-9.

2

2 Vide, Circular 204, Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture.