The true northerner., 1899-02-08
tn BUTTER FACIkY.
PAPER II BY G. T.. ROBlNsQoF LAW
RENcE pRE THE FARMERS INSTITUTE
RECENT HELD IN Paw PAw

!
RECENT IELD IN Paw PAwl
In att] biting discussiorbf this
subject l ail treat the buttehctory,
not as a sycialty in farming, ht as a
means wheteby we can introdH into
our farm Aoperations a new tanch.
Neither shA use it in comparisn nwith
the cheese factory. While each as its
friends, itnArawbacks, or its adviAg ges
over the other, from my standpoir they
both reach the same end to the g,eral
farmer.
The COO Aerative butter factory fers
TO the gelieral farmer special inlee-
ments. Ithurnishes to him an omit
for new cash crop, without very llch
expense as} TO preparation excepehe
increase inJhumber of COWS such athe
sees fit TO make. The production ofhis
crop can be accomplished without Ey
materially changing his other operatiis is.
and it il my belief that there is scardyl
farm of over 60 acres but can doulaI
its present COW stock without changt
or crowding its other crops as at presses
raised only as little more attention
paid TO raising and saving a forage crolE
In 1894, $50 farms were returned FROM
Lawrence township, carrying COB milch.
COWS, less than 215 COWS TO the farm
which averaged in that year So acres
This would scarcely keep the averages
family i'm milk and butter. But increase
that number by three times and you
produce a surplus that gives you cash
return every month"; allows you 10 meet
all running expenses and should do more.
Ii we can have these COWS fresh in Sep
tember or October we have the winter
to give them our time and attention,
thus carrying our farm operations through
u months in the year
This enforced idleness and consequent
stoppage of production for a portion Of
the year is at present the greatest draw
back to Michigan farming.
This number Of cows to 50 acres, all
fresh mixers i'm the fall, will allowyou to
carry bunch of calves or shoats through
the winter on the skim milk, thus further
increasing your income. To the small
farmer in particular this system offers
great advantages He is generally too
much confined in his operations to feed
for the market, and in the winter his
work consists of caring for a pair of
horses, milking two COWS, building fires
and growing at the government. Give
him eight or ten COWS TO care for and he
can do all the former and will forget the
latter, and instead of being spring poor
April /, he will have made nice crop
and be wiser and better.
This can be done without the butter
factory but at what expense? That of
an overworked wife. Besides, you would
probably swap your produce at the store,
letting the merchant fix the price both
ways for you.
The factory allows you to turn off n
finished product from the farm, and in
such quantity and quality that it can be
sold at your home station or on the
market on its merits. These are not all
the advantages. Whether you increase
your herd of COWS or not, the factory
enables you to lift a load from the wife's
shoulders, and she is happy, providing
you turn at least a part of the check over
to her at the end of each month.
1t seems to me that the factory offers
to the sandy land farmer a salvation Of
which he should avail himself. With
continued loss of seedlings and extreme
droughts to burn up his land, it would
seem he would gfaspat anything whereby
he could produce crop and still feed
his land. Sheep will not help him on a
small farm, COWS will. But these are the
ones in our town who will not take hold
of the factory in any shape. Some Of
them are still sowing wheat, losing their
seeding, selling their stock because of
no hay baling and selling hay and straw
to buy grass seed to SOW to lose on their
still more impoverished land.
Are there disadvantages? Yes. Ihave
dealt with the small farmer, and to him
who does his farm work alone the burden
of caring for and milking eight or ten
COWS is heavy. This can be obviated by
having your COWS fresh in September or
October and drying them off in the busy
season.
The COW business ties man right on
his farm 800 days, morning and evening,
each year. It needs close attention to
details, good care, warm buildings, a
close study of cows as individuals, and if
you can't give this don't patronize the
factory with over two COWS, and stable
them by a wire fence and feed them
wheat straw.
You wish to know about our creamery
at LawrenceY We have a plant pur
chased of a Chicago company. 1t CO
us about $500. We are organized u2
the state laws and capitalized at
(watered our stock you see). 1
communities wish to profit by
perience, / will say: If a grd
smooth fellow with large waist
and nice fat laugh visits your
begins to talk creamery, heed
for if you buy his factory "a
from 81 900 to $1,000 more thu
The Indiana experimental 8
that in Indiana in 1893 80, 5
organized and sold by one {
ply houses, went under, rel
capital of 100000. A com
ours knew nothing of a bu