Previously to the enormous development of the urban trade in country milk, dairy farms were in the main self-sustaining in the matter of manures and feeding-stuffs, and the cropping of arable land was governed by routine. To-day, on the contrary, many dairy farms are run at high pressure by the help of purchased materials,--corn, cake, and manure,--and the land is cropped regardless of routine and independent of courses. Such crops, moreover, are grown--white straw crops, green crops, root crops--as are deemed likely to be most needed at the time when they are ready. Green crops,--"soiling" crops, as they are termed in North America,--consisting largely of vetches or tares (held up by stalks of oat plants grown amongst them), cabbages, and in some districts green maize, are used to supplement the failing grass-lands at the fall of the year, and root crops, especially mangel, are advantageously grown for the same purpose. For winter feeding the farm is made to yield what it will in the shape of meadow and clover hay, and of course root crops of the several kinds. This provision is supplemented by the purchase of, for example, brewers' grains as a bulky food, and of oilcake and corn of many sorts as concentrated food.
TABLE XI.--_Estimated Annual Production of Milk, Butter and Cheese in the United Kingdom for the Ten Years ended 31st December 1899._
+-------+-----------+-------+-----------+----------+-----------------+----------------+-----------------+ | Year | | | |Influence | | Estimated | Estimated | | ended | | | Cows and |of Season.| Estimated | Total Quantity | Total Quantity | | Decem-| Cows and | Cows | Heifers |Percentage| Total Quantity | of Butter | of Cheese | |ber 31.|Heifers in | per | giving | above or | of Milk produced| produced in the| produced in the | | |Milk or in |1000 of| Milk all |below the | in the 52 Weeks,| 52 Weeks, | 52 Weeks, | | | Calf on | Popu- | the year |Average of| by 75% of the | taking 32% of | taking 20% of | | | 4th June. |lation.| round; | previous | Total Herd, at | the Total Milk | the Total Milk | | | | | say 75% | 10 Years.| 49 cwt. or 531 | to yield 80 lb.| to yield 220 lb.| | | | | of Total. | | gallons per Cow.| of Butter per | of Cheese per | | | | | | | | Ton of Milk. | Ton of Milk. | +-------+-----------+-------+-----------+----------+-----------------+----------------+-----------------+ | | No. | No. | No. | % | Tons. | Tons. | Tons. | | 1890 | 3,956,220 | 105.5 | 2,967,165 | +3.0 | 7,487,640 | 85,572 | 147,078 | | 1891 | 4,117,707 | 108.9 | 3,088,281 | Average. | 7,566,288 | 86,472 | 148,624 | | 1892 | 4,120,451 | 108.1 | 3,090,339 | -5.6 | 7,147,337 | 81,684 | 140,394 | | 1893 | 4,014,055 | 104.4 | 3,010,542 | -9.0 | 6,712,004 | 76,709 | 131,843 | | 1894 | 3,925,486 | 101.2 | 2,944,115 | +6.3 | 7,667,505 | 87,628 | 150,611 | | 1895 | 3,937,590 | 100.5 | 2,953,193 | -3.5 | 6,982,087 | 79,652 | 137,148 | | 1896 | 3,958,762 | 100.0 | 2,969,387 | -4.0 | 6,983,999 | 79,817 | 130,000 | | 1897 | 3,984,167 | 99.7 | 2,988,126 | +3.1 | 7,547,856 | 86,261 | 148,260 | | 1898 | 4,035,501 | 100.0 | 3,025,526 | +3.2 | 7,645,105 | 87,372 | 150,171 | | 1899 | 4,133,249 | 101.9 | 3,099,937 | -3.5 | 7,329,027 | 83,760 | 130,020 | +-------+-----------+-------+-----------+----------+-----------------+----------------+-----------------+ | 10 | | | | | | | | | Years'| 4,018,318 | 103.0 | 3,013,660 | -0.7 | 7,906,874 | 83,992 | 141,412 | |Average| | | | | | | | +-------+-----------+-------+-----------+----------+-----------------+----------------+-----------------+