Mexico weekly ledger., 1882-07-27
Facts and FIgures.-A Comparison of
the Creamery Business in Canada
and the Western States.

In Canada hay costs from $40 to SIS
per ton every year; corn SO to Is cents
per bushel. The land ON which cows arc
pastured during the summer costs, when
bought outright, S75 per acre. If rented,
"a to 8! cash per acre per annum. Now,
when the dairy farmers of that country
make their butter, where do they send it?
To Boston or New York City. What
does it cost to put it there? About 81
per 100 pounds, or one cent per pound
Now, let it be remembered that dairying
is the best paying business in that part Of
the country. Let us figure up the cost
OF above items items in Northwestern
Iowa, and contrast same with the fore
going. Hay costs So per ton, corn Is to
20 cents per bushel. Land for pasture
during the summer, if bought, S. to $40
per acre. When butter is made it can be
sent in as good order to New York as the
butter made within 800 miles of those
markets, thanks to the invention of the
refrigerator car and to the railroads for
adopting them. What does it cost per
100 pounds on butter from Storm Lake,
Iowa, to New York? Just $2OS, or about
two cents per pound. That is to say, it
costs at Storm Lake one cent more per
pound to place our product in the same
| market alongside our competitor, who
lives almost next door to the market.
Does our butter sell as we'll as his does?
1t does. Choice Iowa creamery butter
sells for the very highest quotations.
And right here let me state that actually
there is more than ten cents per pound
between "stOre- packed butter and
s'creamery." No matter from what State
common bntter is sent, it always sells for
less than creamery made. That is the
reason why creameries can be made to
pay, and pay more for cream than farmers
can get for homemade butter l want
to make this point very plain and clear,
for many of our western women have had
their pride hurt when told that their but
| ter was not as good as that made at a
| creamery.
Looking at the future of dairying, and
look at the future we must, there is a
time coming when there will be great
| over production of dairy stock. That is.
| when in New York City, for instance, the
price of common butter will run down to
10 to Is cents. Now, who can afford to
| go on and produce more and make money
| at these prices? The Iowa farmer will
still make money and sell choice creamery
at 20 cents, AS soon as the best butter
sells for 20 cents, vile limitations, in the
| shape of OleOmargarine, will be driven
out. There will also spring up a very
large export trade to England. Good
clean, cheap butter in England, well intro
duced, will head off Danish, Holland
French and Irish butter, which is now
consumed in enormous quantities.
At present, American competition ir
products is affecting land rents and prices
in England and Ireland, and our free
American pig is causing French and Ger.
man farmers and statesmen great dea
of trouble, how to exclude him. Aftel
awhile, however, we will by sharp competi.
ton, compel vast numbers of our foreign
farmers to come to the West and becom,
producers with us. This will then worl
the same havoc among our farmers of tn,
eastern States, in few years more, as il
now being done in the older countries o
Europe. When our Iowa people complet,
with them in the higher and best pawn.
products, with prices of human labo
about the same, land one fifth cost, rem
of land One-fourth cost, corn one-fOurtl
cost: climate, winters and other cOndi
tions nearly the same, excepting cost o
ransportation-which is only smal
item anyway-then our Iowa people vii
either be exceedingly prosperous or tn
eastern farmer is bound to ego to tn
wall, where we are driving the Britis
farmer day.
What is said in the above concernin
creameries in northwestern Iowa,
equally true of southwestern Iowa an
, northern Missouri. Here lands rat
} about the same as there; hay and cor
plentiful and cheap, our winters NOR
l mild, and the cost of transportation II
2 more. Wherever creameries have bee
established in southwestern Iowa the
5 have proven benefit to the farmer an
t business man, and the eagerness wit
which communities are taking hold {
such enterprises is conclusive evidence {
: their growing popularity.
The following report Of the committe
n appointed by the Keosauqua. .Creamer.
: which we take from an Osceola, low,
4 paper, speaks for itself:
4 The undersigned committee appointe
by the Keosaqua, Iowa, Creamery Con
;. pany to estimate the cost of the KeOsf
qua creamery, built by Holt & Hall,
Osceola, Iowa, on their usual plans an
It specifications, certify that we have car,
+ fully examined into the cost of ground
:. building and machinery furnished
t them, having first gone to considerab
trouble, on our own account, to ascerta
! prices, and in our opinion they cann
N safely contract to build such creameri'
for iesh than the sum of $500, and tn
l. this sum under ordinary circumstanc,
o will leave them very small margin I,
incidental risks. We further take plea.
It ure in saying that in all our dealin:
n with these gentlemen we have found the
to be most honorable and trustworthy.
J. N. NORTON,
e ". 4. WORK,
G. r. SMITH,
y r. LEA, Sec'y. Committee.
81 keosaqua, Iowa, June Is, 1882.
e The lectures by distinguished speal
ars f1nrinU the session of tho Norm