The Red Cloud chief., 1884-01-25

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No commodity reaches the market IN
which the price of the different grades
var.ts 80 greatly as in the case of butter.
One day last week the quotations for
butter in the Chicago market ranged all
} the way from nine to thirty-tve cents
per pound. Even these figures do not
She " the extreme in the price of butter.
Larne quantities were made in the West
that GOULD not be sOld for cash at the
lowest price named. 1t was disposed
of by way of barter for anything il
would bring. Very large quantities of
choice butter never find their way to the
general market. The proprietors of
some creameries and private diaries sell
the butter they produce directly to con.
sumers and obtain fifty cents a pound
for it during the entire season. 1t has
been repeatedly shown that it costs as
much t make the poorest as the best
butter. 1t is likely that in the majo.ity
of cases it costs more. Poor butter is
generally associated with cows that
give small quantities of milk, and extra
fine butter with cows that produce q
very large amount. The heavy mixers
enable their owners not only to make
much butter, hut to obtain a high price
for it. The light mixers only allow their
owners to sell a very small amount of
butter at the lowest price. The history
of poor butter would show that a very
large amount of hard work had been
expended on it. The cream from which
it was made was raised with difficulty.
The churning was a long and very labO-
rious operation, in which several men,
bers of the family took part. Much time
was also expended in working it with a
view of getting out the buttermilk and
putting it in ~presentable shape. Little
time and labor, however, were expended
in manufactur .ng the butter that brings
the highest prices.
Like most old arts. for instance, the
tanning of hides and the making OF
bricks. progress in butter manufacture
has been very slow. As something an
swering to the name OF butter can be
produced by the exercise of very little
skill. many persons have not thought
it necessary to ascertain the best
methods Of setting milk to obtain
cream. of churning it to produce but
ter. or of sailing and packing the prod
uct. They may be conscious that they
make poor butter. but they attribute it
to a poor location for the dairy busi-
ness or to dad luck" Perhaps they
endeavor to improve the quality Of
their butter by making One change
suggested by visiting a place where
very good butter is made. Perhaps
they invest in a new-fangled churn. a
tank for holding milk or a patent
worker. 1t is possible that they obtain
some better cows. 1t does not occur
to them that the poor quality of the
butter they make is owing to no one
thing. but to many. Only an expert is
able to tell them how to proceed. They
might be able to obtain much valuable
information from a treatise on butter
making. but they neglect to invest in
one. 1t is generally more difficult to
teach an art to persons who think they
are acquainted with it than to those
who have never had any practice. Hav-
ing become accustomed to old Prac-
tees, we are reluctant to abandon
them even when we become ware that
they are productive of very poor re-
suits. A great reform in butter-mak-
ing was ~inaugurated in Denmark a few
wears ago. Danish butter sold lower
than that made in any country in Eu.
rope. The agricultural department OF
the Government took hold of the mat
ter, and in fifteen years Danish butter
had q reputation for excellence in
every civilized country in the world.
Girls were educated in the Government
dairy schools and then sent to farms
t, do missionary, work. They made
converts wherever they vent. They
also earned high wages, which were
paid by the Increased price obtained
for butter.
1t is likely that the dairy school es'
tablished in Denmark has added more
to the material wealth of the country
than all the so-called agricultural col.
leges in the United States have to ours.
A travelling dairy school supported by a
minister is doing most excellent work
in Ireland The money spent by oul
National Department of Agriculture in
making experiments in the manufacture
of sirup and sugar from sorghum would
have e established a dairy school in every
State in the Union and educated one
person in every school district in the
mysteries of butter-making. Great per
lection has been reached in many of Oul
creameries. and much very valuable in.
formation on butter-making has been
published and distributed by our assO.
Citations of dairymen. The art Of max.
ing choice butter, however, is neither
understood nor practiced on most Of
our farms. The facilities for instruc'
ton are not good. 1t is likely that
few apprentices could obtain admission
to our established creamer.e s and enjoy
the opportunities to learn a trade. The
methods pursued. however, in these
large establishments are quite different
from those needed in farmhouse.
where the amount of milk is limited tt
the COWS kept on the place. Our grea,
dairy establishment, have demonstrated
what was doubted or denied . few
years ago, that it was not only possible
but entirely practical to make as goot
butter in the West as in the East. Thu
climate, water and grasses are favOra
BILE to the production of good butter
Improved dairy stock is being intro
duced faster than in any portion of thu
world. What is chiefly wanted is skill
in the making of butter. With thu
great amount spent in the name o
agricultural education. instruction il
IAA- . --l~ ~D~ynnkA