Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1885-07-31

Not only is il "A safe deposit, but any
investment made in this direction Is
certain To yield paving dividend an
nually.
Gathering Cream.
The following is an address deliv-
cred by Capt j. b. Thompson, of La
Plata, Mo, man who has done very
much TO promote the dairy and cream
interest in Missouri, before the Missis-
sippi Valley Dairy and Creamery Con-
vention of st. Louis.
1t is not my purpose in this essay TO
speak of any of the cXccllences or adj
vantages of the system of gathering
cream that is the foundation of what is
termed cooperative dairying. That
the system even in its imperfect state, l.
an excellent one and has succeeded in
laying broad and deep the foundation
for profitable and successful dairying in
the West, all will admit. but that it has
serious, and ii seems lsurmountable
defects, the owners of Western cream
cries are more than ready TO admit.
My purpose is to poin out these OBJ
jections with the hope hat the assem-
bled wisdom of this convention may
overcome them. | will state the dc.
fects Scridttm:
LIST. Where the cream wagon runs
every day, and the driver does the
skimming. he finds the cream ON the
milk at different stages, the first Il few
hours after milking. when the cream
has not had sufficient time to separate.
which entails loss to the farmer. II
I Il - 1 INN
ill the following day, it is injured Gun.
less the farmer is well prepared for
keeping iD, and ii works loss 10
the factory. The system OF skimmn2
! by drivers is not the incest thing inn
aginable with the dust falling from
the clothes. or dirty water dripping
| from their hats on rainy days. and the
aroma OF the livery stable all about
| them; drivers who have long routes do
haSty skimming, So that have known
/ heavy shortages to occur in mid sum-
mer
I'd Farmers soon learn "wayS that
are dark and tricks that are not vain.
and study out many inventions by
which cream is made To show up on
the guage that will show down in the
butter. The average cream gathercr
is not Il saint, and notwithstanding he
is in the pay of the factory, he soon
gets into Il kind of close corporation
with the patron. and the vegetables
and fruits. and occasional leg of NUT
ton in season, that he picks up on his
pilgrimage, enables him to convert "A
onc-cighth into Onc-fourh on the
guagc Of the can. This is not Jdir-
lamb proceeding. but these little things
in the course of year. Will show Il
shortage that cannot otherwise be ac-
counted for 4 creamery that will
show gratifying overrun the first
summer OF lis operation. will expert
Cncc "a shortage on the second sum
mer This state of affairs - intensified
a. cold weather approaches, The
The price of cream per guage must
be greatly increased. while The quality
is not appreciated. and the quantity on
the ratio between the guage of cream,
and pound of butter, Is something
entirely beyond the control Of the pro-
! prictOr of the factory. In winter, |
have known the shortage 10 range all
the way from live 10 fifty per cent. 1t
! is absolutely SO uncertain that no cal
! culation as 20 profit and loss can b.
! successfully made. There j. likely
more difference in the quality or butter
producing property of different creams
than even creamery men are aware of,
| especially in winter time. At this sea-
son of the year when cows are carry
| ing their calves they seem TO reserve
the richest or butter producing princi-
| pie for the calf. The present system of
! buying and gathering cream makes no
! distinction between rich cream and
! poor cream, which works an injustice
to the farmer who is careful and pains
taking. His good cream is TO 20 in to
make up the loss occasiOned by the
pronigate and Indifferent. The bust
ness does not, for this reason. make
the progress and Improvement among
farmers that it should make. There
is about the same relative difference in
cream as there is in farmer butter.
just how To successfully overcome
these difficulties. is the question | de-
sire to bring before this body. know
of no business that is less under the
control of the man who owns and runs
| 1.-THE man who has TO stand the loss
and foot the billS-than that of the
owner of the creamery. on the gather
ed cream system. He can neither con
troll quality, quantity or temperature
of the cream. His patrons and his
drivers know a. much- ab0Gt- his-lni y.
ness as he knows himself. What we
need is an invention Of some kind that
will readily, and without too much la
Dor and expense, determine the actual
| butter value of cream, a. the mer.
chants scales will determine the guam
tity of butter the farmer brings him
We want some simple method of de.
termining this. SO that the ordinary
farmer can readily understand and
thoroughly comprehend it.
When this is done the creamcryman
will be master of the situation. He has
to do justice to that farmer who is dill
gent and painstaking, and who fur
nishcs an excellent article of cream.
Not only this he has control of his
drivers. He can. by this plan, pay 50
much per gauge for gathering cream.
and the driver will take lively inter
est in the business. and will work up
instead of, as heretofore, being con.
tent TO drive from sun to sun for his
$500 per day, to say nothing of the
huxtering that has heretofore been 90
ing on between him and the patron,
TO the great loss of the factory.
In conclusion. gentlemen, permit me
to say that in my opinion, we have
scarcely reached the threshold of the
| GRAND Supcps that nj inafnl A. aXvoits ~