The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-01-27
AGRICULTURAL.
Creameries theoretically and Prac'
tically.

NOe&O w ~--~
modern dairyman. They take a great
burden off from the women in the
farm homes and they turn out uni
form product by the most economical
method. At the recent dairymen's
meeting Professor Alvord said that,
where the greatest economy was used
in the home making and marketing of
butter, il cost from six to eight cents
per pound, and that ordinarily it cost
higher, sometimes going as high as
twelve cents. Governor Grout said
that he found it cost him six cents to
make and market his butter with all his
advantages and conveniences. These
are rather startling figures. OF course
if man does not count his own time
or that of his wife and children, in
other words, if they all work for moth
ing, he can imagine that he makes but
ter at lower cost. But a man isn't
much of a man who does not set fair
market value on the work of himself
and his wife and children. The actual
cost of making pound of butter at a
creamery is from three to four cents.
Thus it is seen Mt once what a saving
the creameries effect-apparently, for
these figures do not tell the whole
story as we shall see. Then, creamery
butter usually sells for several cents
more than the ordinary make of dairy
product. There is also far less mechan-
ical loss in the creamery than in the
private dairy.
The creamery handles large quanti-
ties of cream and butter, and this is the
ideal method of manufacturing milk
ipto marketable product. One or
two men can do the work of a hundred
or more farmers wives. The creamery
employs the most modern methods;
steam takes the place Of hand power
and machinery lifts the burden from off
the women of the farms. The market
ing is done in the most economical
method, for all know that large guam
tity of any kind of produce can be
shipped to greater advantage than a
small amount. theoretically, every
thing seems to be ON the side of the
creamery. Where it is conducted on
the cooperative plan, the patrons get
all the profits.
But, alas, in this world things are not
all what they seem. There are some
creamery customers who are satisfied,
who feel that the enterprise is being
rightly conducted, that they are getting
all they ought to in returns. But these
cases are altogether too few. The
creamery system has some very weak
points, and there must evidently be a
change or we shall find the creameries
ouly breeders of discomfort. First
there is the expense of carrying the
milk to the creamery. Prof. Alvord
said that this is heavy burden on an
industry which is already overloaded;
that the farmer spends his valuable
time in carrying to the creamery what
is not wanted. The cost of carrying
the milk comes out of the farmer. The
professors remedy is to have small
separator on each farm. He would
utilize the small water powers which
are scattered over our hills. Somebody
(why not some of the experiment sta
tions?) ought to find out the cost OF
carrying milk, taking farmers at differ.
ent distances from the creameries
What farmers want to know is, how
much does it cost, ordinarily, per pound
of butter to carry the milk to and fro?
Then we want to know how much il
costs to run separator on the farm
and have the creamery gather the
cream. Perhaps this would solve most
of the creamery problems.
But dissatisfaction with carrying the
milk is not the only difficulty; it is only
a small part of the trouble. 1t is hard
to tell just what the trouble is, but q
good deal of light was thrown on the
matter at the Montpelier meeting
Take ten creameries and compare their
reports. You will find wide varia.
ton in their statements. Ii is very
evident that there is something wrong.
Either the testing apparatus is defec-
tive, or the tester is careless and in.
competent, or the bookkeeping is in.
accurate, or the management is not
honest. 1t is evident that in one OF
more of these particulars, many cream.
cries are blameworthy. In not few
cases farmers find that they get consid
cradle more butter when they keep the
milk at home than when it is sent to q
creamery. The farmers become sus.
picious. They know the whole bust.
ness is in the hands of others, perhaps
strangers. They feel that they are be.
ing defrauded, Is there a remedyf
We can only record the suggestions
made at the dairymen's meeting. The
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