CHAPTER III GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF BUTTER-PRODUCING AREAS HISTORIC CHANGES THE westward course of the butter belt in the United States is shown in Table no. 7. This table shows that the center of butter production remained in the Middle At TABLE VII THE AMOUNT OF BUTTER PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES BY (000 OMITTED) Geographic 1910 1900 1890 1880 1870 1860 1850 New England.. Mountain Pacific Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds (a) (a) 83 212 “(a) Cannot be shown separately, as to do so would disclose individual operaVide, U. S. Census. Data taken from Statistical Abstract of the United tions." States. lantic states from 1850 to 1870, that during the succeeding decade it moved west into the East North Central states and remained there until 1890, and that between 1890 and 1900 it moved still farther west into the West North Cen 301] 77 tral states where, in 1909, the product constituted 27.5 per cent of the total amount of butter produced in the United States. In 1899 this geographic division produced 27.3 per cent of the total product while the East North Central division produced 27.0 per cent of the total product. In 1909 the latter division dropped to 26.2 per cent. At the last census therefore the East and West North Central states produced 45 per cent of the total amount of butter produced in the United States. New York for a long time held first place in the production of butter, but in 1909 it ranked eighth, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, all producing more butter than New York. TABLE VIII THE AMOUNT OF BUTTER PRODUCED IN THE LARGEST DAIRY (000 OMITTED) State 1910 1900 1890 1880 1870 1860 1850 Wisconsin Pennsylvania Michigan. Ohio... Illinois New York. Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds 3,633 11,953 2,171 2,957 1,100 58,653 39,878 15,503 7,065 (From Statistical Abstract of the United States). As is shown by table no. 8, New York was the largest butter-producing state as late as 1880. If there were census figures to show the amount of butter produced from the beginning of our national life to 1850, they would probably place New York state first in the production of butter from 1800 to 1880. After 1880 the production of butter in New York declined rapidly until, in 1910, the amount produced was only a little more than half the product of 1880. Between 1880 and 1890 the state of Iowa increased its production by over a half and remained the largest butter-producing state for two decades. In 1910 the production in Iowa had decreased by about 12 million pounds and in Wisconsin it had increased by about 25 million pounds as compared with the previous census amounts. Wisconsin, at the last census, therefore, was the largest butter-producing state. The maximum amount of butter, however, produced by any state as reported during census years, was produced by Iowa in 1900. In view of the fact that the states vary greatly in size, the boundary line of the state as the area of production, does not give a correct picture of the distribution of the butter industry. A better idea is obtained by taking the square mile of land surface as the unit of production. When this is done it is seen that Vermont is the greatest butter-producing state in the country. In 1899 Vermont produced over 41⁄2 million pounds of butter to the square mile of land area. In 1909 the production per square mile dropped to a little less than 4 million pounds. No state has ever produced an average production per square mile as high as this. The nearest approach to this record was 21⁄2 million pounds which was the average amount per square mile in New York in 1879 and in Iowa in 1899. Vermont has held the record of production per square mile since 1879. At that time the production per square mile was a little over 21⁄2 million pounds. The production of cheese has also moved westward. Cheese production, however, is less scattered than butter production. Cheese manufacture has been transferred almost entirely to the factory and it seems that good-will is an important factor in selling the product. This is one reason why the cheese industry has become largely centered in New York and Wisconsin. These states have been early in the field of cheese production and have used aggressive methods in placing the product on the market. The expert skill in cheese manufacture that has developed among the people of these states is another reason why this industry has become more centered than the manufacture of butter. Other states were under a much greater strain than New York and Wisconsin in meeting the competition of foreign countries which have imported large quantities during the last decade. It may be expected therefore that the tendency toward shifting will be less marked in the cheese industry than in the butter industry. Nevertheless the industry is moving westward as is shown by a statement of the amounts of cheese produced in the leading dairy states from 1850 to 1910. TABLE IX THE AMOUNT OF CHEESE PRODUCED IN THE LARGEST DAIRY STATES FROM 1850 TO 1910 (000 OMITTED) State 1910 1900 1890 1880 1870 1860 1850 Wisconsin Michigan.. Pennsylvania Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds Pounds 400 48,548 49,741 1,641 Ι,ΟΙΙ 2,508 2,505 19,323 22,254 32,531 24,153 21,618 20,819 5,734 1,848 1,278 .... 4,388 California 4,345 6,926 4,962 (From the Statistical Abstract of the United States). Table no. 9 shows that New York was the largest cheeseproducing state from 1850 to 1900. The production in New York increased rapidly from 1850 to 1880, but after this to 1900 only slowly. Between 1900 and 1910 the production in New York fell off 25 million pounds while in Wisconsin it increased 70 million pounds. In 1909 Wisconsin produced 149 million pounds, which is the largest amount produced by any state. In Pennsylvania the production of cheese increased slightly during the last decade, while in all other eastern states it decreased. It decreased in Illinois and California, where the demand for fresh milk is probably the cause for the decline. In Oregon, where the urban population is less numerous and the demand for fresh milk not so strong, the production of cheese increased by 3 million pounds during the last decade. Like the butter industry, the cheese industry shows a tendency to migrate to sections of the country where the production of milk for fresh consumption is less profitable than in regions in close proximity to urban centers. Other factors that determine the distribution of these industries are soil, topography, climate, transportation charges, and social influences. The demand for fresh milk emanating from urban centers is the chief fundamental cause that brings about specialization in the production of butter, cheese, or milk for fresh consumption. When this force is felt in the dairy region, milk will be produced and the production of butter and cheese will be shifted to more remote parts of the country. Further differentiation between the production of butter and cheese seems to be due primarily to the adaptability of the soil to raise sufficient quantities of corn necessary in the feeding of hogs. When the yield of corn is reasonably large the hog may be made an adjunct of the butter industry by the utilization of skim milk. Where the yield of corn is very low hogs must be eliminated, and it then becomes more profitable to make cheese than butter. This is the chief cause ascribed to the |