Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-12-06
Butter Making for Profit.
DEBORAH Republican.

MI - biCChlniluSc, VI ILLS Guy, re-
turned home last week from an extend
ed trip into Central Iowa. During the
first part OF the month Of October, he
spent a week in Delaware county, and
his occupation led him largely among
the farmers. This gave him an oppor-
tunity to examine into the working of
the dairy business This has now become
the leading source of income to agricul-
turists OF that county; and it is
proving a source of wealth. This may
sound strange to farmers who have sold
their butter this year at prices ranging
from five cents upwards; but neverthe-
less it is true. The butter made in this
county and marketed in Manchester
has, undoubtedly, commanded double
the sum paid here, the entire season
through. Manchester has it's butter
market, as our towns possess wheat
markets, in which only cash is paid for
the product. No one thinks of taking
trade, or of bartering off his crop. A
number of persons and firms make but
ter buying and handling an exclusive
business, and realize reasonable profit
from their work. We doubt if any but
ter handler in DEBORAH can honestly say
he has made any money whatever from
this branch of his business, this year.
Could the true inwardness" of the
traffic be told, perhaps-yes, probably
the story would be sorry one.
How is it, then, that money can be
made in dairying in Delaware county by
all who handle it, while in Winneshiek
unremunerative prices are paid, and no
profit is realized by the buyer?
Mr.. Breckenridge says that could a
half dozen of our best and widc-awake
farmers go down there and spend
week, they would see the answer all
worked out And they would come
home with new ideas of butter-making,
and its possibilities. He does not say
but what our very best butter makers
can produce an article that will make a
fair comparison with the good butter of
Delaware county. But the average
crop! In that there is wide differ
ence just as wide as the difference in
price. There they have their cream
cries; and farmers make careful bus
mess of handling milk from the time it
is stripped from the cow, until it is
turned out in golden parcels to the buy
ers The best apparatus is employed,
every convenience adopted, and the
whole art is studied Milk does not 90
into cellars; milk-houses are built ex-
pressly for it-not costly ones, but per-
feet. The temperature is kept even by
spring water, or ice. The best pans,
churns, &c, alone are used; and the
product is made into packages uniform
in quality, color, &c. In short, there is
thorough attention to details. The re-
suit this brings about is best told by
quotation from the city market reports.
Take Chicago-the poorest butter mar
ket in the country-as a sample. Here
is the Inter- Oceans report for last Sat
urday
Fresh creamery salable at 20G23c
per pound for fair to choice, with some
of the finest and well known brands sell
ling at 24(G25c Fresh dairy choice
to fancy quality in demand and selling
to local dealers in small way at NO
19c per pound, and occasionally 1(02c
more, while to shippers 1Sc would be an
outside figure for the finest stock; fair
to good 7@12!c, and common 5(06c.
1t was strange that, when Mr.. B. was
in Manchester, the going price" was
20(023c, when it was not over 10 cents
in DEBORAH? Their butter found
market in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and
other cities, where much better price
than Chicago affords is cheerfully paid.
Would not this double price pay for
considerable extra care? Is not Win
neshiek, with it's magnificent springs
and rich prairies, as fertile a field for
this work as Delaware? Why, in 1874
the butter crop of Winneshiek was
1868 pounds; and that of Delaware
was only 73S,205. Ten cents lost on
each pound represents $73,000-To-day
the butter crop of Delaware is not less
than ten times that of 1874 The ship
ments alone in October, were 1S9,410
pounds, and one firm at Earlville has
bought and shipped $4,000 pounds
since April 1st. And these are the
prices paid, as quoted by the Manches-
ter Press, Of Nov. 18TH
Choice Creamery, 24(a25; Choice Dali
ry, 22G24; Good to Choice, 1920;
Fair to Good, 14(G16; Poor, TOTO;
Choice roll, 16@1S.
The effect of this, is, that there are
now, no hard times in that section.
The product being sold for cash, family
supplies are bought for cash, and there
are but few store accounts, consequent
ly no debt of this character is pressing.
The present has been favorable
year for this business; and other years
may give that section its hard times.
1t is quite probable this will occur. 1t
is certain to occur if an exclusive dairy
business is followed. But if our farm
ers gave part of their attention to the
dairy, another to corn and pork, and as
much time only to wheat as the neces-
sary farm help for the year could man
age, we feel sure they could laugh at
hard times; certainly to such hard
times as now afflict us