Morning Oregonian., January 01, 1912, SECTION TWO, Page 3, Image 19

3
menu, so that the milk producer has
little trouble In finding a ready sale
for his product. Practically all milk
and cream sold to factories of the va
rious classes Is sold on a butter fat
basis. Cheese factories and condensing
establishments are able to pay a higher
price for the fat than the creameries
are. but there la a question In the
minds of most milk producers as to
whether the higher price compensates
for the loss of the skim milk for feed
ing purposes. Prices paid for butter
fat by one of the largest creameries In
Western Oregon are shown in the fol
lowing table:
Batter Fat Price.
PRODUCTS OF OREGON DAIRIES ADD NEARLY
$17,000,000 TO STATE'S WEALTH ANNUALLY
Market for Butter, Milk, Cream and Cheese Is One of Highest in United States. Man of Large or
Small Means Has Excellent Opportunity for Success in This Remunerative Industry.
PORTLAND, NATURAL LIVESTOCK MARKET
OF PACIFIC COAST, BIG PACKING CENTER
Annual Output Increases From $3,000,000 to $7,000,000 in Five Years, But Progress Will Be Even
Greater in Future. Another Great Abattoir Will Be Established This Year.
, .. a
Month
Janmry ..
February .
March
April
May
June ......
Juir
Ausuat
September ,
October ..
November
December
Averjga .
1903. 1010.
llt. .
0.40
.35
.SI
.a7t
.2
.23 H
.J
.27
.30
.36
20.37 80.40
-grmt- asia... : , fry-
.30
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.31
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.33
.33 .30
TIIE MORNING OREGONIAX. MONDAY, JANUARY 1, 1912.
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F. L. Krai. Orrgea Agrlral-
tarai tellrae.
percentage of your
nthly provision bills Is
trgeabl to products of the
JalryT" The writer recently eOd this
question of a number of heads of fam
ilies and found a wide variation In the
-eplies. a:though the families were all
luch as might be considered In average
slrcumstances The highest figure glv
m was 31 per cent and the lowest 1
er cent. If we should take the average
f these two extremes as a general
iverage we would have 24 per cent as
:he average cost of dairy products In
'.he actual cost of living.
While this figure Is undoubtedly too
3lgh In the case of the poorer families
f the cities. It Is not high enough to
fairly represent the value of the dairy
products In the food materials used
n the same type of country homes.
It therefore seems fair to rstlntate that
ipproximately one-fourth of the actual
ost of our food materials ran be
'harged to dairy products, leaving
neat. eges. poultry, fruit, vegetables,
ugar and other "store products'" to
hare the burden of the other three
'ourths. In the llcht or these facts we
til readily see the Importance of the
talry Industry In connection with that
much discussed and ever vital question,
"the high cost of living."
It has been estimated that about 175.
000 dairy cows are owned In the state
of Oregon. We are Inclined to believe
that this figure Is rather high, but In
the absence of definite data on the
subject we assume tt to be correct.
The aveiage annual milk production of
these cows will not exceed 40ft pounds,
or approximately 2000 quarts. The total
amount of milk produced In the state
during the year 111 therefore, prob
ably did not exceed 250.000,000 quarts.
There were approximately 800.000 peo
ple In the state during 1911 and If we
assume that there was an average of
five to each family, and that each fam
ily used one quart of milk dally, the
total consumption of milk alone for
the year would amount to 52. 400, 000
quarts, or about 17 per cent of the
total production. If we allow an aver
age market value of 7H cents a quart
to this milk, we have a total valuation
of 24.3S0.tt00 for the product of the cow
sold and consumed In the form of milk.
Retail milk men report that about
10 per cent of their sales are In the
form of sweet cream. Probably an
equal or larger amount of sweet cream
Is sold by sweet cream shippers. The
value of the sweet cream therefore
may be placed at approximately f 1.000. -000,
and would represent about 8,000.
000 quarts of milk or about two and
one-haif per cent of the total. Con-
1S11
1910
1905
iaoo
densed milk would probably represent
about an equal amount of utilization
of the total mtik produced, and a mar
ket value of about 82.000,000.
The 111 production of cheese Is
probably In the neighborhood of 5,000.
00 pounds. Tillamook County Is cred
ited with the production of 1.600.000
pounds, and the other cheese produc
ing sections should bring the total to
about 5.000.000 pounds. This would re
quire about 25.000,000 quarts of milk,
or about 7 per cent of the total. This
cheese has cost the consumer an aver
age of not leas than 20 cents a pound,
or f 1.000.000.
According to the foregoing computa
tion about 72 per cent of the milk pro
duced In the state may be considered
as having been used for butter making
purposes. If we assume that this mflk
contained an average of 40 per cent
of butter fat, there could have been
made from this fat about 24,000,000
pounds of butter, which cost the con
sumer an average of about 25 cents a
pound, or in aggregate of 88.400,000.
The aggregate value of Oregon's dairy
products as represented by the con
sumers' standard, may thus be sum
marised as follows:
Amount.
Market milk ...8 4. 89. ooo
Pweri cream l.ooo,(H0
Condensed milk .... 2.0no0.iO
Chee 1.0(K.0iO
butter .. S.4U0.00O
Total . 216.780,000
But from the standpoint of the milk
producer the summary would be ap
proximately as follows:
Amount.
Market milk .$2.1.tN0
Sweet cwam .................... lM).0io
Condensed milk ... .............. 7.tO.OOO
Chees 6O.00O
Butter fat g.auo.000
S9.039.10I. 436,447. 70 $68,423,400. aQ039,475.
ORFC.OX LIVESTOCK SEARLY TREBLFJ IX VALVE 1 11 YEARS.
Total I9.S43.0O0
The Oregon market for dairy prod
ucts Is one of the highest In the United
States. Butter prices in Portland range
from I to I cents higher than butter
prices !n Chicago, New York and other
Kastern markets. The Portland price Is
also usually somewhat In advance of
the Fan Francisco market. The state
la well supplied with creameries, cheese
factories and condensing establtsh-
Probable December. 1911. price.
Prices in the foregoing table are for
butter fat. delivered at the creamery.
Indications at time of preparing this
table. December 1, 1911, were that the
price prevailing at that time, 2 cents
would probably be the price for the
month of December.
Much very excellent dairy stock Is to
be found In Western Oregon. In fact,
the Willamette Valley has in recent
years furnished hundreds of carloads
of dairy cattle for nevr ranches In
Southern and Eastern Oregon. Wash
ington and Idaho. The Willamette Val
ley dairy stock Is very largely of the
Jersey breed, both pure bred and
grades. Numerous pioneer breeders,
among whom were W. 9. Ladd, of Port
land; Judge Boise, of Salem: D. H.
Looney and Charles Miller, of Jeffer-
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Mi
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S- 2 :"(sfei!(a," e
l,IVK.TO('K VAM'ED AT MORE
THAN SSO.OUSrOOO.
Since the founding of large
parking-houses In Portland sev
eral years ago. the livestock in
dustry In Oregon and neighbor
ing states has made rapid strides.
Portland is now the livestock
center of a large territory, and
wi.. the establishing, the com
ing year, 'of a large packing
plant by oulzberger & Company,
this ,prestige will be Increased.
Livestock In Oregon Is now val
ued at J80.039.4T5. aa compared
with 868.4 25,400 one year ago.
The following statistics are sup
plied by Dr. James Wlthycombe.
director of the Oregon Experi
ment Station:
Number. Value.
66U.OO0 $19,800,000
183,750 8.268,750
J10.590 37,270,800
9.018 1.127,000
2.280.950 7.983.325
231,000 924.000
Cattle
Dairy cows..
Horses
Mules
Sheep
Goats.
Hogs
Total
288,800
4.665,600
. 180,039,475
5
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IS
Al Sa
on, and Colonel Meyers, of Ashland,
along In the '70s began breeding Jer
seys, and the good work has gone on
until now there are satd to be more
than 200 owners and breeders of pure
bred Jerseys In. the Willamette Valley.
In the coast regions there Is quite a
growing sentiment In favor of the Hol
steln, and this breed Is found to some
extent in the Columbia and Willamette
Valleys. Some few Guernseys and
Ayrshires are also to be found, so that
all of the special dairy breeds are rep
resented. A good many grade shorthorn
cows are also used as dairy animals, as
well as representatives of other breeds,
and some that are "Just cows."
Just at present there' are very few
dairy cows in the state for sale. In
fact, some few carloads of Middle West
states grade cows have been recently
brought to the state. The present and
prospective demand for dairy cows
. makes the rearing of dairy heifers a
very profitable line of animal breeding
at the present time.
Perhaps the greatest drawback to
dairying in Oregon at the present time
Is the difficulty In securing suitable
help. Many owncra of large tracts of
land would engage In dairying If they
could secure the right sort of help,
managers as well as milkers. And
many land owners who are In the
work would increase their herds quite
materially could they be assured of
getting satisfactory help. There is
abundant opportunity for remunerative
employment for the man skilled In
dairy herd management. Plenty of men
seem to be available for factory work,
however. Many Middle West and Kast
ern butter and cheese makers have ap
parently followed Horace Greely's ad
vice, "Go West, young man."
Abundant opportunity la afforded the
man of small means to get started In
dairying for himself. Sometimes fully
equipped dairy farms. Including the
cows, are rented to responaible parties.
Numerous land owners are willing to
rent to men desirous of starting a dairy
herd, and allow the rent to apply on
4. TS '
PPFTir i - . Tsglas?;?silHsaifc
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aldei
Con
By I). O. 1lvelr. Vlee-Prt
laad L mloa Stockyarda Company.
THE selection of Portland as the
livestock market center of the
Pacific Northweat was not the re
sult of chance. Every possible inves
t Port- Portland the one-car shipper has the
same opportunity and gets the same
price as the trainload handler.
Aside from the fact that under com
petitive conditions which surround a
dealer on a central market, the packer
new buildings and Improvements. If fhe tigatlon was made and much time was can afford to pay the farmer a better out o the Pacific Northwest for pack-
prospective dairyman prefers to get a
piece of land for his own he can buy
quite reasonably in the older estab
lished sections, and very cheaply In
some Instances. In the newer regions.
Railroad development In Central Ore
gon haa made a lot of suitable and
fairly cheap land available for dairy
purposes. Most of this land must be
irrigated, but this is considered an ad-
spent in fixing on a location. The wis
dom of the decision in making Port
land a livestock market center has
been borne out, not alone by the
growth which has followed, but by an
opinion of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, showing that thla city la
entitled to a lower rate on livestock
price and still have his animals cost
him less. The advantage to a city is
that the money in exchange for ani
mals Is paid out In cash to the shipper,
who. In a majority of instances, comes
to market with his livestock. He nat
urally leaves a part of his returns in
the city, in the hands of hotel men,
merchants and banks. It Is not para
doxical that a packer or butcher can
vantage by many who are familiar with shipments because of the water grade afford to pay more on a central llve-
nauu as against other cities that are stock market and still get his animals
irrigation practice. On the irrigable
lands of Central and Eastern Oregon
It will be easily possible to keep 2
cows on a good 40-acre tract, and
grow all of the feed required, except
perhaps a little bran or other grain
product.
hemmed in by mountains.
The Importance of Portland's selec
tion as a livestock market center can
not be overestimated. The fact that In
two and a quarter years, since the es
cheap. The reasons for this is that on
a central market the packer buya his
supplies from day to day and conse
quently does not have large sums of
money tied up In herds of cattle which
he must feed and care for. The buyer crease in the available supply of llve-
. -., . . . - - - mo uujcj crease in me avtmauic ouhfj
?"l!!'VZ , V- k-.; tabliahment of this market, about 820.- on a central market is not compelled stock. The possibilities of profit in the
'rry County probably offers the best ... . , , ... , , , ...i.i.m . e . i rfntlnn
Curry County probably
opportunity for the man of small means
who desires to start a dairy herd. The
lands are very cheap compared with
the better known coast sections of Ore
gon and Northern California. But
transportation facilities In Curry Coun.
ty are not of the best, although ma
terial Improvement in conditions ap-
000,000 has been paid out here for to maintain a corp of expensive travel- production of hogs, in the production
ins men in ine neia tooKing alter bis and fattening oi came lor ratoi nu
purchases, and naturally expensive in the fattening of sheep, are begin
buying must come out of the purchase nlng to be better understood and farm
price, ers and feeders are becoming more
The advantage to the shipper is that numerous,
animals sold on a central market ore The organization of a financial corn-
fed, watered and rested before being pany, which renders assistance to feed-
about 14,000 cars of livestock is a sig
nificant statement, but there are other
facta which render this statement
more Interesting. Prior to the estab
lishment of an open, competitive mar
ket, where buyers and sellers get to
pear. toTe.Tg'h" clrryCounty a.K gather dally under market rule, T which weighed up to purchasers. He also ers of. cattle and
UnXS&PA? insure fairness, livestock purchase. "..Tlit VXitVSln:
its good land, and the prospective In
veetor should carefully examine hi.
contemplated purchase before closing
the deal. This section of the state has
some very excellent dairy stock, for the
most part kept on large ranches.
WalnnU Raised In Yamhill.
There are about 200 acres of bearing
walnut orchards In the state, of which
Yamhill County has over half. Dun
dee and Sheridan are the principal
centers of the walnut Industry In Yam
hill County, with Dundee as the prin
cipal producing point at the present
time. Exchange.
were made in the country. The ex
pense of the buyer was fixed as a part
of the purchase price and the seller
had no means of ascertaining market
conditions or the value of his animals.
Frequently sellers saw but one buyer,
and there was little or no place for
the one-car producer of cattle, sheep
or hogs. Packers made contracts with
large dealers for their supplies and
the small raiser was referred to this
dealer whenever he had anything to
sell. Big markets are built up by the
one and two-car shippers, and since
the establishment of stock yards at
1905
1900
1911
$2. eoo.ooo $3zooooo &seeoooo $asooooo.
OREGON'S AVERAGE WOOL CLIP WORTH NEARLY a3,0O0,0OO-
Btock yards company to encourage in
every legitimate way possible the pres
ence of numerous buyers. Portland
has been fortunately successful in this
particular, as from 10 to 30 buyers are
constantly present ready to compete
with each other for their needs. The
establishment of a central market nat
urally attracts the location of packers
and wholesale butchers. The growth
of the business of one packing indus
try located at Portland from 22,500,000
to 83,000,000 a year in five years to a
total of 27,000,000 gives further proof
of the magnitude and importance of
the livestock industry. Along with
the growth of this company there has
been the increase In business by
smaller concerns, and according to the
best information obtainable Portland
will be favored with the building of
another lirge packing-house Industry.
It is reasonable to estimate that within
a few years the new concern will be
doing a commensurate business, and it
it is not unreasonable from present in
dications to. predlet that Portland will
establish as good a record as Fort
Worth, Tex. In that city the packing
house industry grew in ten years from
an annual output of 85,000,000 to an
annual output of 275,000,000. Popula
tion, railroad tonnage, employment of
labor, the prosperity of the merchants -and
every phase of industry grew In
keeping with the livestock business.
There are no limits to the growth
demand, esrjecially In the matter of
hogs amounts to many millions of dol
lars. It is important that all of the
community literature, seeking to at
tract people into the Northwest, should
lay special stress on the opportunity
for profit in stock farming. It is also
Important that the men now engaged
in agriculture in the Pacific Northwest
should have their attention directed to
the necessity of diversified farming,
which includes the production of live
stock. When this condition Is brought
about the business of agriculture will
yield more money than under any oth
er crop system, or following the pro
duction of a luxury. Every Institution,
firm, corporation or Individual inter
ested in the upbuilding of the Pacific
Northwest, and Portland in particular,
should exert every influence to that
end in order that the livestock market
here should attain its proper growth.
There is nothing altruistic about this
as it means more money for everybody.
There are packing-houses at Seattle,
Tacoma, Spokane. San Francisco and
Los Angeles, but there Is only one cen
tral livestock market in the Pacific
Northwest and on this market all of
the packers can make purchases.
The opening up of new railroads
through Central and Western Oregon
means greater supplies of livestock,
and no prophetic ability Is necessary in
predicting the livestock market at
Portland as its first commercial Indus
try in a short period of time.
and expansion of the livestock business
in Portland, save and except, the ques
tion of a supply of animals. When this
market will have attained its proper
sphere there will be no occasion for
sending the many millions of dollars
ins-house products that now go to en
rich the farmers of the Middle West.
Since the establishment of this market,
and as a consequence of the propa
ganda that has been maintained by the
industries at- North Portland, the Port
land Commercial Club, the Oregon De
velopment League, the railroads and
the press, looking to an increased in
terest in livestock production, a change
in the outlook and in the diversity of
Northwestern agriculture has become
apparent. It Is yet a long way from
reaching its proper fulfillment but the
opportunity is here, and with the com
ing of new people and the taking up of
new land, there is promise of an in-