Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1901-10-18
Build a Creamery Here.

veals tho fact that the people here
are buying largely the creamery
product Some of the merchan is
deal almost exclusively in butter
manufactured hundreds of miles
from this county and others say
that the general demand, even
when II home made outter of good
quality is offered, is for the import
ed at Il larger price. The fact to he
deduced is that our people are sup
porting Industries aud farmers
in other and distant places to the
derriment Of farmers residing near
by in our own county. The mcr-
chant buys tho creamery product,
for which he pays cost and on
which he makes a small profit the
farmer who brings his butter to the
store must sell for a much less price
and usually take it out in trade. He
is at a disadvantage because he
must accept the price offered for his
product and pay the price demand
ed for the goods He has no choice,
and the merchant is also at disad-
vantage because there is little de-
mand for the home made butter
and he is often forced to dispose of
it at loss. There are few farm
ers who perhaps have private Gus
toners and obtain better prices, but
their output is limited and they
must peddle it around at sacrifice
of time. There is no encourage
ment to the farmer to increase his
stock and product because that
would entail greater expense and
labor with a prOportionately small
gain. The farmer and his wife,
with their rude appliances and
manual labor, are competing with
first class machinery, skilled labor
and organized capital, and as we'll
with a popular prejudice against
their butter The time is past
when dairy butter, packed in firkins
or tubs as formerly, can be sold at
the end of the season. The demand
now is for fresh goods, and it Is idle
to endeavor to effect q change in
this respect. The farmer must
meet the demands imposed by
changed conditions, and he must
meet the competition offered by
large estab ishments in distant
states. However he may deplore
the situation it is one he must face,
and experience proves that he can
not do so profitably. There is but
one escape from this unfortunate
condition and that is for the farmer
10 put himself in a position where
he can successfully compete. The
creamery offers a solution of the
problem Let any thoughtful man
calculate the cost of pound of but.
ter IN labor and quantity made from
a given amount of milk in the old
fashioned way and the price for
which it sells, with the price ordi-
narily paid for mills at a creamery,
and he will be convinced. The
creamery with its ice, machinery
and modern appliances extracts
every particle of butter from the
milk, which the farmer can not do (;
it manufactures in large quantities
making the product uniform, the
farmer in small quantity and quail
ity varying according to a number
of conditions. The creamery read
lily disposes of its product in quanti-
ties, while the farmer must dole his
out in small packages. If he IN
Icreases his output beyond a certain
limit he entails vastly mole labor
on his wife and daughters and
creates additional expense in the
way Of apparatus. If he sells milk
to the creamery he only increases
the cost Of milking which would be
no more than in the other instance.
He has a market for his product
and is not disturbed by doubts,
fears and difficulties as to sales as
he is with his butter. His herd in
crsases, bis land improves, his milk
is paid for monthly and he begins to
! have an acquaintance with the bank
and becomes the proud possessor of
a check book. His wife is relieved
of toll and drudgery and be finds
his children much less prone to
leave the farm and seek what is
called more genteel employment
That a creamery would pay in
4 this section has been demonstrated
There are two in operation in an ad
, joining state near here. They arC
I competing with our farmers and
our people are paying for theil
product, in short, enriching the
farmers of another state to the det
! riment of those in our own county
! The man or men who build a cream
! cry in our county near Milford vii
not only put their money in pay
, ing investment but will confer un
/, told benefits on the farmers. i
j. will increase the price of farms, Il