The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-11-20
AGRICULTURAL.
Separators and Creamery Returns.
A LETTER FROM FRANCIS BArcHELDER & co.

LETTER FROM FRANCIS BAToHELDER h co.
Editor of VeTmont Waterman We
notice in your issue of October %
communication signed by the Vermont
Farm Machine Company, but its state
ments are in some respects so ridicu-
lous that even denial is hardly neces-
sary. The fact remains that Jury of
twelve men from the home county of
the defendant, which would naturally
be predisposed in favor.of the latter,
rendered verdict in our favor. We
accepted tn United States Separators
for trial largely upon the recommends
ton of Mr.. Slocum, our uperintendent,
who desired to try the low-cost ma
chine which was guaranteed to give re-
suits equal to the Alpha, but which
failed. The results obtained from the
Alpha machine, which was named in
the contracts as the standard by which
the United States machines were to be
judged, were so much superior in every
respect that the expert employees of the
Vermont Farm Machine Company,
who were sent here for the purpose of
obtaining from the United States ma
chimes the best results they were capa-
BILE of producing, admitted the evident
superiority of the Alpha Separators,
and so notified their employers. AS to
the surplus and returns to farmers, we
have demonstrated by investigation and
comparison, 80 far as we could obtain
the statistics, that no creamery in Yer
mont has paid more, and many have
not paid as much, for the exact number
Ofpounds of butter fat contained in the
Patrons milk, as the Capital Cream
cries. In the recent lawsuit, decided in
our favor, several operators of cream
cries using the United States end other
machines testified that they figured a
surplus, which was proved to be much
greater than it was possible to obtain
by an honest and accurate reading of
the Babcock test, as shown by the testi-
mony of Professor Hill, the skilled
head of the Vermont Experiment Sta
ton.
This fictitious surplus means less
pounds of butter to the patron and more
price per pound, and unless the patron
has his milk properly tested an I'M
scrupulous creameryman may be CIV
ing his patrons less dollars for the net
product, and at the same time appear
w NC SlNlh2 90 lluCl 40 vi lhou
some ueighboring creameryman, who
will not permit this questionable prac-
tice. We are, at the same time, per-
sonally aware of creameries who are
scrupulously returning all that is due
the patron in net dollars, through the
medium of higher price per pound,
but of less pounds than a correct read.
ing of the Babcock test will allow. But
this is at the same time form of de-
ception which is marked injustice to
square-test" creameries. We per-
sonally know of others who apparently
return as much, or more than their
neighbors per pound for butter, but
who, as a matter of fact, are not so
doing, and who will continue to reap
financial advantage until their patrons
appreciate the facts in the case. We
urge every patron to have composite
samples of his milk, corresponding with
those tested at his creamery, tested
regularly by himself or at the State Ex-
pertinent Station at Burlington. For
this purpose we make standing offer
to furnish glass jars free to our patrons.
We particularly advocate the passage
of stringent law compelling uniform
basis of payment for all creameries, the
law passed at the last session of the
legislature being insufficient for the
purpose. This may be done in two
ways. First, by compelling all cream
cries to pay on the exact number of
pounds of commercial butter made, not
butter fat. This means, of course, that
all the surplus shall be divided among
the patrons in pounds instead of price
per pound. Or, second, by providing
that no greater surplus shall be paid
in extra price per pound over the price
that would be paid if payments were
made on the basis of commercial butter
only, than can be honestly shown when
the Babcock test is honestly read.
There are some excellent reasons in
favor of this latter method, but we must
admit that it affords ample scope for a
dishonest dealer to manipulate figures
to his own advantage without appear
ing to do so. A single illustration will
suffice: If butter should be returned
at rs cents per pound, and the cream
eryman stated the test to be four per
cent, when it was in reality five per
cent, he really has in his possession
onetquarter more of butter than he re-
ported, and can, in consequence, return
that one quarter in price rather than in
pounds, or 81 cents per pound on the
four-per-cent test, which would be %
cents per pound on the ive-per-cent
test.
The only absolute protection of the
creamery patron is to have his tests of
milk properly taken each day, indie
pendent of the creamery, and indie
pendently tested. The variation in
tests from day to day is great, some
times one hundred points or more.
Therefore tests which may be relied
upon must cover the same milkings
without exception.
Legislation may do much for the
creamery patron, and we hope the
WATCHMAN and other leading papers
of Vermont will thoroughly investigate
this important subject in the interest
of this, the greatest of Vermont in
dustries, and prepare the way for the
wise and adequate legislation which the