Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-01-18
A Word to Country StOrekeepers.
From the Bureau Of Dairy Information.

A Word TO Country StOrokeepers.
From the Bureau Of Dairy Information.
At a recent dairymen's convention
an enthusiastic and rather 0ver-z"alous
farmer took occasion to abuse the rail-
roads and the commission men, stating
that all the farmers got for their but
ter was the railroad charges and the
commission. In reply to this IL was
asserted that such was the case only
with 5-ccnt butter and that IL the
farmer only made good butter there
was no reason to complain OF the rail-
roads or commissioner. We have ID
the dairy column tried to teach the
farmers the right way IN dairy work,
aud though this matter-like all other
true gospels-must be repeated again
and again, we this time wish to change
the text from that of the good milk
and cream spoiled into poor butter by
the farmer to that of good butter
spoiled In the handling by the careless
country storekeeper.
We are perfectly aware OF the diff
culties under which the storekeepers
labor; we know that Mrs. Jones
would highly resent receiving 2 cents
less than Mrs. Smith for her butter,
even though in reality is worth cents
less. We are perfectly aware that she
most likely would leave the store 10
trade there no more. We are perfect
ly aware that it requires a superhu-
man courage in the storekeeper TO
make any difference at all in the
prices paid for butter; hence we do
not ask them to do so even If we
think it might-in the long run-be
to their own advantage. We accept
then the fact that for reasons Of policy
it is considered necessary to rob the
good butter-makers to pay the poor
ones; let it also be understood that
we know this butter trade-as rule
is losing trade 10 the storekceper whose
only hope is to recover the loss by his
sales to the farmers.
But there is no need-even under
the present one-price system-to make
this loss as heavy as it is, and
while the careless farmers have 10 take
the blame of losing millions of dollars
in the dairy, the careless storekeeper
is not far behind. The present price
of packing butter is lat and B cents
for No. /, 2 and 8, and yet the average
storekeeper dumps all kinds of butter
into one box or one barrel, leaving il
exposed to all the combined smells SO
well known in our country stores.
This butter has been nicknamed
"shOebox butter" and though we must
say that this name seems to have late
~ opened the eyes of the storekeepers
enough to induce them to use mostly
cracker boxes or flour barrels, yet We
have within this week seen butter ar
rive in a tobacco box. We have re-
peatedly inquired into the main points
of successful butter packing or lading
and always came to the same result ::
A careful sorting OF grading. Yet the
storekeeper throws it altogether and
by the simple fact of few Jumps OF
scent butter being mixed with the Ia
cent so reduces the latter TO 7-ceni.
With a very small expense a sepa-
rate clean room could be used for re-
ceiving tho butter, and with a little
training a fair grading could be made
at once on receipt and by shipping the
different grades separated the packer
would be enabled TO pay higher
price, thus reducing, il not totally pre-
venting, any loss. We most earnestly
implore the storekeepers to take this
matter into consideration and at the
same time draw their attention to the
fact that they should keep good dairy
salt and color for their customers and
keep it free from contamination, re-
mem bering that salt absorbs odor
nearly as much as butter, and that
''fishy" butter, while often due to lack
of cleanliness, also has been found due
to the salt having been stored with
dried Goldfish.
Many have no idea how much the
saving by being careful may be, but
when it is known that one establish
ment in Iowa reworks $4,000 pounds
of butter per day they may understand
that a few cents saved may run into
thousands, aye, millions.
r Dill