The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-11-29
TOO MANY CREAMERIES.
Peculiar Claim OF Minneapolis Com
mission Man.

Peculiar Claim Of a Minneapolis Com
mission Man.
Minneapolis Journal:
Frank G. Mcmillan, vice presiden
and manager of the Minneapolis
Cold Storage company, gives uniqu,
reason for the present shortage of but
ter in Minneapolis. Mr.. Mcmillan be-
lieves the shortage has resulted because
there are too many creameries in the
state; so many in fact, that they can
not be operated profitably and pay the
farmer fair price for his milk. This
says Mr.. Mcmillan, results in the
farmer not taking his milk to the
creameries simply because it doesn I
pay h i'm to do 80. The remedy sug-
gested is the use of hand separators on
the farms, and the subsequent sale of
the cream to large concerns which can
turn it into butter cheaply and profit
ably, and yet pay fair price to the
stock raiser Says Mr. Mcmillan:
Paradoxical as it may seem, the pri-
mary reason for the persent shortage
of butter in the Minneapolis market,
and the consequent high price, is solely
that there are too many creameries,
but the system under which the bust
ness is run at present is extravagant
in the extreme, and the farmer doesn'
obtain adequate compensation for his
work. The last report of the state
dairy commission says an average cow
earns per year sci for milk taken to
creameries. AS it takes about three
acres of land to support COW, far
mers absolutely lose money on such a
showing. That there are too many
creameries is shown by the fact that
there is not sufficient supply of milk
for each to enable it to run economi-
cally.
In certain sections of the state there
are creameries at nearly every road
crossing. This condition of affairs has
been brought about by local prejudice.
Builders of creameries use every means
in their power to impress upon far
mers the desirability of having cream
cries close to their doors. In the end
it works hardship, for there is scarcely
a creamery in the state that could not
do ten times the work that it is doing,
with very little increase in running
expenses.
The average creamery today is run
ming three times week, and, pos
sibly, getting in the neighborhood of
1000 pounds of milk. This 1000
pounds of milk will probably produce
in the neighborhood Of 100 pounds of
butter fat. This small amount must
stand the expense of the creamery
business. The help employed must be
paid for full time, while the actual
working time in the creamery isn't
over fifteen hours week. No industry
on the face of the earth could stand
this, and it all falls on the farmer.
Again, under the present system,
creameries must have their milk sup"
ply within distance of five miles.
The farmer, each day that the cream
cry is run, must haul his milk to the
creamery, which is another big item,
if not of expense, then of discomfort
in cold, stormy weather.
W. P. Mcconnell, state dairy COM
missioner, stated to the writer that he
hoped to see thousand creameries in
the state of Minnesota In the same
breath he spoke of a county in the
southern part of the state, where there
are many COWS, very small percent
age of which were being MIXED, or,
at least, of whose milk was being
taken to the creameries, and he could
mt understand why it was. The
answer is simple enough: It uidn't
pay the farmer and he is the man that
must be reckoned with. In Mime
sofa, where climatic conditions are not
always favorable, we occasionally see
articles in the daily papers stating
that farmers are refusing to milk their
COWS on account of the high price of
eed. The price of feed may largely
influence them, but. they are more in
fuenced by the low. returns they get
from their products when handled in
the present extravaganza manner.
This business however, will be
shortly remedied and the remedy lies
in hand separators on the farm. There
is a saving to the farmer, using hand
separator, of not less than s cents a
pound This saving is made on the
hauling of the milk and on the value
of the warm, sweet skim milk from
the hand separator as food for young
stock. The hand separator is going to
revolutionize the dairy business. It
makes the farmer practically indepen-
dent. Hand separated cream makes a
better quality of butter from. the fact
that the separation of the milk and
cream is done while the milk retains
the animal heat and before the milk
has a chance to develop fermentation
or bacteria of any kind.
This method will pay the farmer and
it is doubtful if for years to come we
ever see another such shortage in the
butter business here. Hand separators
are being put in by the farmers by the
hundreds and this will keep up the
butter supply at all seasons of the year
Low rates to the seaboard cut no fig |
ure whatever on the present market. |
With our market half a cent higher |
than New York freight rates do nof |
enter into consideration One thing |
that shows against cities like Mime
apolis, is the fact that, with momen |
tary shortage. the price is very
rapidly advanced but one car load. of |
butter on this market today would |
knock the price off to a parity with |
New York, which would be some |
where about % or 23115 cents Twenty |
five tubs more than the actual demand |
would drop the price fully cents
pound, if not more The creameries
in the state realize the unsteadiness of |
the market and prefer to patronize |
larger cities, that are not so easily in
fuenced.