Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-10-22

We print below II circular from Mr..
Secretary Bliss concerning the coming
dairy fair in New York. While we may
not coincide with all he says we heartily
agree that it is necessary that Vermont
be represented there. In this connection
it might be interesting to the dairymen to
know what the expense will be for and
the amount which will be necessary to
meet it:
VERMoNT'S LOST DAIRY LEADERSHIP
HOW 1T WAS LOST AND HOW IT CAN
BE REGA1NED-THE NEXT NATIONAL
FAIR--APPEAL FOR MONEY AND EXHIB-
IT'S FROM THE, VERMONT DAIRYMEN's
ASSOCIATION.
To the dairy7nen of Vermont and others
Interested: Vermont dairy products only
lately had a reputation second to no others.
That they have not such reputation at
the present time is not positive evidence
that they do not deserve it. That our butter
has been quoted in the market reports all
the present season at p less price than
other butter does not prove that such
ought to have been the case. though, of
course such is the implication. That
there is much low grade butter produced
in Vermont, no well informed person can
deny; but that Vermont produces any
greater proportion of it than any other
section of the country, may, with very
great propriety, be denied. That poor.
very poor butter sometimes finds its way
into our fairs and exhibitions, only illus
trates the well known fact that ignorance
and concet are the greatest obstacles to
uccess in this, as in most other depart
ments of industry.
Every butter maker in the state owes it
10 himself,to his neighbor and to the state,
TO see to it that he not only makes the
best butter possible, and sells it for the
best possible price, but that his neighbor
does 100. 1t is not enough that we have
all over the state men who are getting,
right through this season, II net price for
their product more or less in excess of
he highest quotations of our competitors.
Not few of this class of men, who have
heretofore mounted up into the highest
seat and assumed independence of the
good or bad name of the products of their
neiShbors, are to-day reaping the result of
thelr Jolly; their special customers, upon
whose patronage they have depended, are
dead, or become bankrupt,or seduced into
other paths, and they are compelled to 90
into tile general market with Their neigh
hors, and 10 suffer with them the effect of
impaired reputation of Vermont products
us whole.
70 sell his products is as much part of
every producers business us to make
them. "Unobtusive merit" of which so
much has been written, said and sung, in
the present age does not stand any sort of
chance in competition with aggressive
enterprise. There is current proverb,
" Nothing succeeds like success;' and it
never was better Illustrated than by the
success OF our western competitors in the
capture of reputation for their dairy
products. They Won the prizes at the
centennial exhibition, and everybody who
has shilling with which to buy plate of
butter had it whispered in his ear that
western goods had won the prizes, though
his lnlormants omitted to say that all the
old dairy fields suffered the prizes to go
by default. AT the international fair last
winter, the same result WAS achieved in
the same manner; and 10 that achieve.
ment more than to all else, is due the fact
that we are suffering the effects of regular
quotations at a less price than others get
in the same market. 1t il idle to argue
that the sale of our products is not affected
by these circumstances; every man who
buys them, whether to sell again or to
consume upon his own table, takes advant-
age of the general denunciation in vane,
however effected; and every man who
has goods TO sell must avail himself of the
methods employed by his competitors, or
better ones. or else be content TO be beaten
in the contest. for supremacy.
Recognizing this condition of affairs,
immediately after it was authorilatiyely
announced that another international
dairy fair would be held in New York,
next December,a meeting of the executive
committee of the Vermont dairvmen's
association was called, at which it was
unanimously resolved that Vermont must
and should be represented by creditabe
exhibition of her dairy products.
In consideration of The difficulties which |
it was made to appear to the committee
would deter many Vermonters from ex-
hibiting, it was resolved that the commit
tee would undertake the charge of any
for the fair and exhibit them
for the contributors, under the general
rules Of the fair association, thus securing
o all who choose to avail themselves of
he privilege an inexpensive opportunity
If competing for the prizes,