The Brookhaven leader., 1886-05-27
"sTRAweERRIEs AND CREAM" "

Meeting.
At recent meeting of the State Horti-
cultural Society in Little Rock, among
the various papers read, the following,
by NJ. w. Benjamin, Esq, treats of
topic that will bear careful consideration
of Arkansas farmers. Its title, "Straw-
berries and Cream" will suggest its pur
port:
Mr. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
Diversity of agricultural interests creates
prosperity. Wherever YOU find any reason
ably good country that raises diversity OF
crops You Will find prosperous community
comparatively free from debt. Whenever
you fin | reasonably good country that de.
pends upon one crop solely you will lind
community greatly In debt, living a. the
saving il from hand to mouth" Arkansas
has too much Of the latter. Is 1t because
Arkansas l. not susceptible OF diversified
crOp-F The very exhibit before us proves
to the Contr Try. It's because we have pre-
VBiling here to an alarming extent, the dis
ease-cottOn on the brain-which, II not
taken in time, Is always fatal to the pros
Is II sure remedy for tho disease, u
taken before too many doses of "an.
AConda mortgages" have been given,
but il too many doses have been fnker
there Is no hone for the patiorh 1t was but
few years ago that taan in this State, who
thought of planting an acre of strawbe ries
was looked upon, if not lunatic, at least a
crank, but Il few OF these crank5 planted
quite number of acres each, and as they
seemed to have more money and leisure
than the all cotton men, others concluded to
plant stilI more thGn their neighborSs So
that now during the strawberry season
many carloads are shipped daily to the
NoitHcrn marketa, and to day Arkansas
straw b, .rr - on account of their fine quality
are quoted higher in the market than those
OF any other southern or Western state.
This has all been accomplished III few
years by the efforts OF = few ncrs stent men
Although we have tho most delic ou- straw
berries that can be raised, we lack some
thing to make them just what we want
That is good cream. Look at the stuff that
this exhibition here at the capital OF this
State puts before You for cream to go W tn
your straw wbcrrics-thin milk and thinner
wat w%tcrike ,r1 i ,ht the Englishhsrs drink "ai
it IL cream. You could n y ind enough of
pure, sweet brenm within a radius of five
mil of this city to hardly go with one case
of straw berries Cream Is almost an un-
known product in this state, exec pit in LO.
noke, Prairie and Arkansas counties, VIII re
large number of farmers are making but
ter equal o any creamery butter and ship
ping to this market AMI MCmphie. But as
these parties have nS regular creamery,
they sell theft butter from five to ten cents
per pound below the price paid by our mer
chants Tor creamery butter Why is it that
no crramer es are established in Arkansas?
Is 1t because 1t will not pay or is it because Il
dairy, cheese factory or creamery can not
be ucc.ssfnlly operated in Arkans 's,
or il IT because 1t paws a greater profit
to grow cotton, or thht carying IS too
small business? 1t certainly can not be
the latter-for King Dairy now holds the
preme scppter in this country King Dairy
now sees King Cotton and goes him Sl200O0,-
00 better annually, sees King Wheat and goes
bin Sl0o,000,f0 better annually, sees the Ma =
tional Bank King on his Investment and goes
him ioom,000 better on his Investment 1t
has long been deluson that good butter
can not be made IN tie southern states in
summer Years ago Congress made a dOna-
tion Of lands to each state to establish an
asrlcntural COLLEGE This State accepted
the gift and butt fine University, so far as
building Is concerned. but the Legislature
has for years refused to recognize our ,cri
cultural interest and make AN appropriation
to establish an agricultural department. 1t
Is to be hoped that our next Legislature will
90 what Congress intended in making the
1onation-that is. make 1t ar agricultural
college in fact a. wei % IN name.
The State OF Mississippi has established an
agricultural college in fact: has IL large
farm OF both cotton and upland, and iS max
ing an honest effort to not only see what can
be raised, but to see what profit there Is IL
each To the agricultural college of MiSsis-
sippi, under the general MANAGEMENT OF
General ID. Lee and the special manage
ment of Prof. r. 4. Gnlley, belong the credit
of solving the practicability of CreamerieS in
the south. In their published reoo Is, after
stating that the creamery IS "A success, they
say: "The college Is entitled to the credit
of being the tirst to show from actual trial
extending through an entire summer, a
creamery can be made profitable to its
patrons in this State, and butter of quality
that cXcels the best Western butter, made
and delivered In good condition in market,
TIE use Of the cream separator, carrying OF
milk from one to three miles to thecrtamcry,
temperature OF raising cream, etc, were I'M
solved problems in this State. Much had to
be learned and there is yet room for i'm
nrOvcment. We have shown that where
milk from a sufficient number of cows can
be secured and suflicieht amount of good
water, either cistcrn or well waters by using
the separator and small quantity Of ice,
first class butter can be made"
With a llowInG well or HmpI supply that
will remain under siNty-five degrees temper.
aturc, the ice can be dispensed with. How
many places in the hills and mountains OF
the State can he found where there Is a bold
spring that will furnish an "ample supply of
water that will remain under siXty-tive de-
grccs tcmpeTature|' Can any better place
be found for creamery? Has not Arkansas
more pla es OF this kind than any southern
State? Ought she not to be the lead ing South
ern State in dairyings Would not this
industry utilize II great portion of our
lands that are really unfit for the
cultivation of cotton? In these mountains
and hills stock are much healthier, and much
better butter could be made than in the river
bottom lands that are especially adapted to
cotton.
Their report says: "The experiment. If 1t
may be called an experiment, has called the
attention of farmers to new industry that
can be made source of profit on the farm,
and shows:
!. That oreameries may be successfully es,
tablished in this state.
,. That butter of as good quality and as
great yield can be made here, and that it
Will stand Shipment during the summer
months as well as the best Eastern butter
3. That our pastures and stock produce as
rich milk as is made In what was formerly
known as the dairy belt
4. That patrons find it profitable to pa
troniZe the creamery"
In addition to the report private letter
from General Lee. In writing about the
creamery, says: cit has proven success
and now some twenty are being put up in
Miss ssippl." This shows the effect of start
ing good creamery upon the industry of
the State. Should one success iul creamery
be started in Arkansas, IL would not be ten
years before we would have hundred
creameries in our midst and at least a thou.
sand good dairies, the combined product of
which would only be- second to our cotton.
The questions asked are: What Will it cost?
Will it be profitable? Let us examine this
and see the cost and the profit. The cost of
creamery building in this state, with our
low price of lumber, ought to be from $500
to $1,000, depending upon size and elegance
of finish The cost of machinery AMI outfit
about 81 600 General Lee writes thus; "The
cost to establish one is from 81 200 to s. 900,
including house, separator engine and outfit
OF churns cans. etc" This Is not large
sum to start such an industry. Ii can be
started as cheaply and as easily as a gin
house and steam cotton gin and press that
we find on nearly every good plantation.
The expense of an outfit Is not in the way
of starting a creamery. But, If started, will
1t pay? An examination OF the report of the
M ssfssippi College shows that they have
greater profit from their creamery and stock
than anything else. That alone more
than pays the running expenses of their ag.
Ticultural department. An a curate account
IS kept by them OF all labor expended upo n
everything and a careful examination of
their report shows that forty nine and a
half days labor, with necessary mule labor
added, Iroducedlon eleven acres eight and
one half bales of cotton, which, including
the seed, sold for S4l5.36 gross, which would
give each days labor, together with the
mule, s! cents, which. after deducting ex-
pense of living for laborer and mule, would
leave but a small margin, If any, and that
too, without any allowance for rent of lapd.
Here Is a good average crop and nYerage