The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-01-01
the way in which Dickinson county
people speculated first in wheat and
then i'm cattle, Mr.. Harger says:

people speculated first in wheat and
then in cattle, Mr.. Harger says:
When the people of hecounty saw that they
could not get rich by the methods ofspeculation
they took up other things. One of these was
the creamery industry and it has grown to
proportions that has astonished the men who
began its development. Just ten years ago the
first creamery was established, and now there
are fifteen at work all the time with more in
prospect. The head of the largest company,
the Belle Springs Creamery company. is ]. K.
Forney. farmer. de came to the county In
1879 and for ten years made success on farm
in the south part of the county. Then he came
to this city to look after the central factory of
the creamery association aud is here yet But
he still takes an interest in his farm and says
that the man who will look after the little
things in his business cannot help but succeed.
Mr.. Forney oversees nine creameries, five of
which are in this county. In addition, there
are ten that have either the ownership of in
vestors or are mutual concerns that are the
business of the farmers of the communities in
which they are situated. Says Mr.. FOrney:
These creameries pay to farmers of the county
about Sl6OOO0 annually. The average farmer
gets Sl1 or S12 month for the milk he brings to
u.s. We paid over $4,000 this year and the
others of the county will pay fully as much
more. There are some of our patrons who are
in the business for all that there is in it who
receive checks the fifteenth of every month
for S75 to $50, and they are paying off the
mortgages on their farms and buying more
land. Some however, receive as low as IS a
month. and are not sure that the business pays
To Dickinson county farmers the payment each
year is now $4,000, and it is steadily growing"
The patrons of the creameries number LOO in
the county. The population of the county is
| 10000 and of this the towns have about 1000,
leaving about 600 heads of families to reside in
the county So of these LEO are going TO the
creamery each day and the result is far reach
| ing
In addition to the butter makers there are
cheese factories starting. The farmers of the
eastern end OF the county last year decided to
have trial of the possibility of cheese making
and they hired professional cheese expert to
come and run their factory. Now the Rhinehsrt
Cheese company mas four factories and the de-
| mand is so great that it cannot supplyit They
| are s. OCO pounds behind their orders now and
have no immediate outlook for catching up.
The creameries are also putting in cheese max
! ing apparatus and soon all will be making both
| kinds of milk products. The COW has saved
Dickinson county. Had it not been for the work
of the humble COW it would have much less
than its present population, and would be
guessing on its years income instead of know
ing to dollar almost exactly what the result of
each days labor is to be. A permanent pres
perity has been the object sought by the farm
ers, and they have found it in a diversified in
dustry. And it helps US all, for in this city
where few years ago it was hard work to get
good butter, and where the large per cent of the
butter used was of the country variety now the
merchants say 80 per cent is creamery butter
pure and fresh, decided help in the matter of
pure food development.
That is certainly mighty encourag-
ing reading, for what has been and
is being done in Dickinson county,
can be done in Allen County. The
men who are taking hold of our enter.
prise are men of prObity as we'll as
experience. They know exactly what
to do, and they are bound to succeed.
The beauty of the business also. is
that there cannot be an overproduc-
ton of the raw material.
The lola Creamery will be prepared
to handle all the milk that can be
brought to it, and pay a reasonable
price for it. And that means that
the farmers within reach of lola, if
they care to do so, may assure them
selves of a fixed income that will be
certain no matter whether the rains
cone or not.