The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-02-24
Cost OF Making Butter.

Editor of Wotchman.-Under this
head of Creameries, theoretically
and Practically" in your issue of jan
uary n, you quote from Professor AL
word that "where the greatest economy
was used in the home-making and mai
keting of butter, it cost from six to
eight cents per pound" and from Gov.
ernor Grout that it cost him six cents
to make and market his butter; then
you say that the actual cost of making
a pound of butter at creamery is
from three to four cents. If you had
added the marketing l think there
would be no material difference in cost
between Governor CIRCUITS homemade
and the creameries.
The above quotations lead me to give
you some figures as to the cost of max
ing butter in our dairy. For the year
1896, we made S,543 pounds of butter,
averaging 1854 pounds per week. We
churned three times a week, requiring
the time of two men three hours for
each churning. For that amount of
butter it required 1914 POUNDS of
milk, an average of 42l pounds per day.
Our separator skinned 600 pounds per
hour. Allowing for start and finish we
call it one hour each day, for Swimming.
| Then we have skimming one week, 7
hours; churning, etc., Is hours; max
ing, 25 hours work for one weeks but
ter of 1874 pounds. Allowing ten cents
per hour would be $3.50 or one and one
half cents per pound. Add to this one
half cent per pound for interest, etc.,
would make the cost two cents for
making, to which may be added, what
ever it be, the cost of package and
marketing.
Hoard s Ddirymdn is authority that
creameries usually charge three cents
per pound for making butter where all
things are found, which is one cent
more than it cost me at home; and If
had paid for hauling the milk to the
creamery what my neighbors are pay
ing, ten cents per hundred, the cost
would be $4,000 more for carrying to
the creamery than to make it at home.
That, in many diaries, is the difference
between success and failure.
l.. w. PITKIN.
We do not know how it is in the West
but here in Vermont we think the price
for making butter at the creameries is
usually three to four cents, as we stated
in the article referred to. But this in.
cludes the cost of the package which is
generally placed at one cent per pound
We gave the statements of Professor
Alvord and Governor Grout Just as
they were made at the Dairymen's
meeting, and from our notes made on
the spot. We are very glad to have
the above communication to lay before
our readers, because it shows business
methods, and that is one great need Of
farmers. How many of our dairy
readers have figured out their business
as has this correspondent? How many
can tell what it costs them to make 9
pound of butter? Is the cost of one
hours labor placed too low? We rather
think it is. We think that the making
of good butter is skilled labor and that
it is worth more than ten cents an hour
Can any of our readers tell what it costs
them to board a man, or what $40 pei
month and board really means? This
may seem foreign to the subject but il
is really not. The whole question OF
the cost of butter-making depends or
the cost of labor per hour on the farm
and whether butter-making is worth
any more than other farm work. We
hope that some one else can help tc
solve this problem.