The morning call., 1890-05-13
DOLEFUL DAIRYMEN.
A DemOralized State of the But
ter Market.
Producers Producing at a Loss and Commits
sion Men Gaining Nothing by
the Handling.

The butter market is in pretty "sick" state.
Dairymen dealers and all concerned are in very
aoIeful dumps. Aud well they may be. The
prce OF butter has for some lime been touching
bedrock; now 1t is away down below zero with
10 present prospect OF its rising to a more genial
level. Producers producing at loss and
commisslOn-houses make nothing by the hand
ling.
What then, is the cause? Some blame the
large quantities OF Inferior streaked butter with
which he market is literally Swamped. Others
trace 1t To the pressure of excessive Eastern COM
petition, a competition daily growing more form
dable with the rapid extension of the creamery
system all over the United States. Others aver
that the heavy rents paid out by lessees for cows
and pasture, being more than is returned in the
shape OF butter money, are responsible for the
present prices being so terribly unremunerative.
On the other hand 1t is contended that this ar
gument Will not hold water, as dairymen-owners
are in equally bad financial straits with lessees.
Whatever be the cause, is there no remedy? II
so. what? good number of those interested
believe that system of cTeameries here would
help 10 sustain values by producing at cheaper
cost more uniform aud better class OF butter
than can be produced by Isolated individuals,
and so effectually counterfeit tile bugbear OF
Eastern competition.
OPINIONS GIVEN BY DEALERS.
c. T. Whitney & 20. trace the trouble to the
tend That even II prices are unduly low just now,
that The higher prices that may be reckoned on
later on say from July out, will pull up the
twelve months average to 4 pretty fair stand
ard I'VE farm" they say, 100 eXuavagantly
here. Landlords get too much money. They
try TO get as much now as when the products
were only two-thIds of what they are now. Give
California a million more consumers and the
things settled. AS to creameiies remedying the
present condition Of affairs. ali hinges on the
question as TO whether they eau produce cheaper
than the individual dairyman. Now We are en-
tirely al the mercy OF what hne butter fetches all
through The estern States, which regulates the
price Of packed butter here"
Taking from their books The accounts of one
representative dairy In Southern and another in
Northern California, and the present price, as
compared with a corresponding period last year,
shows an average Of cent lower, and OF about
cents as compared with the same period in
1888. They claim also that while, owing TO
more plentiful iced, the amount OF butter shipped
10 this city since January st shows gain Of
about 10 per cent over ordinary other years, the
OSs Is only relatively about per cent.
IN FAVOR OF CREAMERIEs.
Russ & Saunders state that were it not for the
active picking by commission men prices would
drop even lower. you see" said Mr.. Sau nders,
II costs scarcely any more TO get butter from
the East than II does from San Luis 0bispO. The
upshot VIII be that owners must be content with
less rent for their cows and lands. To my mind,
the establishment of ereameies-Such as we
have established IN humboldt at cost OF $780,
oOO-will go long way 10 remedy the evil. IL
manufacture cheaper than 100 small dairy
men, while the butter is all of one uniform
grade-nOt 100 mixed sorts"
Shatluck kOwalsky trace the demoraliZed
condition Of the market 10 its being Unfortunately
gluted with inferior, streaked stuff, that can
scarcely be called butter by courtesy. They live
III hopes That, as the season advances, prices may
improve, for, as they are, there is nothing in 1t
for commission men, let alone producers In
some places they point out the yearly rent OF a
COW Is equal TO her original value. and that
dalrymen, under such state OF things, would
ind ii hard to make both ends meet at almost
any price
TOO MUCH COMPETITION.
Hills Brothers are OF opinion that Eastern
competition is al the bottom Of 1t all. ave have
letters from northern customers" they say,
"whO write that they will not taks any packed
butter, but want all Eastern. Possibly system
OF cTeameree here would defeat this cOmpetl-
ton Let man East want carload OF butter
of uniform make and quality he can get 1t; here
lie can't. Another thing We want more refrlg-
Grating accommodations. Ship consignment OF
butter from here up north on any OF tue steam
ers, and If Is hot weather nice state 1t Will
rive in."
Ross & Hewlett do not think extra high rents
press TOO heavily on lessees. Owners of land
and stock are suffering equally all gong to show
g We know a dairyman," stated a member of
the firm, "who owns ali his own stock and land
who says be cannot produce butter at profit
under 20 cents per pound, and Will have to go In
for raising STOCK If this state of things lasts.
ALL ON THE SAME FOOTING.
Another man, who leases both stock and land
a. tedsopdDie rent, anu VINO Always gets the
highest going market price for his butter,
US that this yeat he is bound to lose all he has
made for the last three or four. We cannot see
that any system OF creamerles would remedy
matters.
"Why, taking the Eastern standard, where a
dairy consists Of only six TO twelve cows. as
against TO 10 $50 here, every dairy In this State
is virtually on the same footing as an Eastern
creamery ana il IL cannot pay at present prices,
as il Is, to make butter fail TO see how ii would
by any larger consolidation of interests. or
course the whole theory III that line is an expert
ment on this coast aud IL is impossible To say
what the result might be- one way OF the other"