Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1900-02-20
AMONG THE FARMERS.
"sPIHD rHB PLov."

Correspondence on practical agriculture, sopiti
10 solicited. Address all communicattonsi In
| tended for this department. 70 HRNBr ID. HAN
noND, Agricultural Editor Oxford Democra'
Paris. Ne.
MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
BUTTER MAKER AND PATRONS
lBy Hon. W. W. Higbee Of Charlotte, Vt. In N
address 70 the Vermont Dairymen In Conven
sion. January, 1901
Napoleon said that to particulsrize the
bravery of his men who crossed the
bridge of Lode, In the Italian campaign,
he would order the roll call Of the whole
brigade. Call the roll VI seven-eighths
OF the farmers Of Vermont, and you will
lind they are dsirymen.
What is the object Of these meetings
What good Ia to result from thems II
understood correctly, IL is to gather the
cream Of individual opinions and sugges-
tions and then try and churn out OF II
something Of vaiue-snd this ''churn
test" after being properly worked and
packed, is to show how much these
associations are worth 10 the state.
Tue best creamery money can build
and equip, with ten or twenty or thirty
thousand pounds OF milk day, will be a
failure with poor buttermsker. Com
petitiop Is so sharp, the taste Of the pub
lie has become 80 acute, that poor butter
will not sell at profit.
Your man must make an article
that the dealer takes pride In handling.
The grocer does not enjoy apologixing for
the OF quality OF his goods. The COM
mission mouse Who handles your output
Is anxious to retain your trade when he
knows that your consiguments are con-
stsntly kept up to ''gold standard"--
aud he Is continually asking for more"
like poor, little, starving Oliver Twist
although the simile ends here-for no
one will have the hardihood to say that
the commission msn Is very often found
in starving condition.
The butrsrmaker should feel this re-
spousibility. He has put into his care
the entire plant. He Is engineer-ma-
chinist. He should know if the mxchin-
cry Is working properly before break
down occurs, that proper care could have
hindered, entxiling vexAtious delay and
considerable expense. Time is money,
when perhaps dozen TO twenty farm
teams are waiting to unload and
get away 10 hurrying work At home.
He weighs the milk. Is he careful and
correctg Are his scales kept balanced?
'rhe only answer to these two questions
Ia, yes | guess so, will not do. Is he
getting the proper amount Of creams Is
il properly ripened, 80 there will be the
least waste in churnings After the
churuing come the sxlting and packing.
Is the cold storage all rightg ls he care
full 10 taking and preparing his milk
sampless IL he careful and psinstAking
ip his testg Are his rooms clean and
sweet? Are his separstors free from con-
,smiustions? And does he understand
human nature well enough 70 meet his
twenty-five toa hundred patrons with
the wisdom OF the serpent and the ex-
ceeding hsrmlessuess OF the dove, when
there occurs a slight outbreak OF hostili-
ties over q difference In weights or 4
ysri alton in testsg He Is dealing with the
pockets Of his patrons, and scientists
have never yet discovered In human
snsromy, nerve so sensitive. Nature
sbhors a vacuum. So does mankind
in the pocket.
No matter how skillful your butter
maker Is in the details Of his business,
how delicste and correct his sense OF
taste and smell, how perfect his ms
chiuery, to make good butter he must
have good milk. The fountain head
mus. be pure, though not necessarily In
yat.red sense. A single can Of poor
milk Injuries an entire output for the day.
A careless or obstinate or sloveniy
patron not only damages himself, but
perhaps twenty. five TO fifty others. His
poor milk not only discounts the butter
for that day, but IL Injuries the reputa-
ion Of the creamery and the reputation
OF the NJ ,ker. No wonder the butter
maker, Who prides himself In his busi-
ness, who calculates 10 mske IL his 5usi-
ness, protests against the supply at
times. Can he make the patron see IL
and understand IL without rows Pei
hips so; but II he cannot, fairly sensi-
ole kind Of rumpus Is better for the
creamery than lot Of poor milk. The
outtermsker must be an honest man. He
must have the confidence Of the patrons
There must be no psrtislity, no matter
where the straight course cuts. This
confidence will be particularly valuable
10 him when he resches that vital point
as the patron looks at 1.-THE test.
[ should like to say right here, In
psreutheticsl way, that the cash returns
10 creamery patron do not depend any
more upon the richness OF his milk than
the amount. Quality Is all right, but
quantity not infrequently brings the
largest checks from the came number Of
cows. A dairy with high test, where
the owner makes his own butter to fill
orders at high prices, will pay well,
when the same number of cows, with
good deal lower test and larger milk
dow, will pay much better Ia a cream
ery where milk is made up together.
The buttermaksr should heartily inter-
est himself in the success Of his employ
ers. He should pride himself on the
quality Of his output. IL the market
calls for packages that require more
work In preparing he should be reason
able aud helpful in the premises.
But he is not the only one who is fac
ing responsibilities. The patron has
something to do, and great deal 10 do
He should cooperate with the butter
maker in all reasonable ways, to all
res ssonable extent. II the msker tells
him be cannot do good work with frozen
milk, be should take pains that II does
not freeze through any neglect. II the
maker tells him he cannot make first
class butter from milk that hss been In q
stable or In an slleyway In front Of the
cows, the patron should govern himself
accordingly. Milk improperly strained,
full OF straw and hay, Is not the kind Of
a thing the patron would place on his
own table for food uses. It should be
offered to no one else in that condition.
II the patron has can Of sour milk, he
should not expect the maker to take It.
Care OF milk on the farm Is ~ important
q theme for discussion as care Of milk at
the creamery, and IL means just Is much
in financial way.
Patrons should bear In mind that the
cash returns to them depend mainly on
two things: first, good milk; second,
good butterm ,king. Fine butter ad-
vertises ITSELF. 1t forces its way In the
market. lt somehow "gets there" The
best salesman In the world cannot con-
tinuously and successfully push IN In
ferior article. The day has passed for
packing fine butter 10 barrels to be dug
out 10 the rough. 1t is almost like step