The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-11
MINNESOTA IN LEAD
HALF OF THE NATIONAL, RTTTUEu
CONTEST ENTRIES FROM
THIS STATE
EASTERN PAPERS GIVE PRAISE
Contest Will Be First One Ever
Held to Decide a Ma
tiOnaI Champion
ship.

A few weeks ago the Globe contained
une preliminary announcement of a six
months national butter scoring contest
to be held by the National Creamery
Butter Makers association and prophe-
c1ed that Minnesota would furnish its
just proportion Of the 500 exhibitors nee
essary to make the contest a certainty
Ihus far the number Of buttermakers
announcing their willingness to enter Is
less than 100 OF this number Minnesota
mas furnished exactly half Iowa, VS.
consln, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and
Michigan have all combined only sup
piled as many applicants as Minnesota
alone has. One of the Eastern dairy pa
perS in speaking of the proposed contest
says that the Minnesota enthusiasm is
the one encouraging sign in an other
wise discouraging condition.
M. P. Mortenson, the well known but
termaker of Mortenson, Mimi. saws:
Il will join the six months contest and
l would do SO even if 1 had to pay 81 or
81 an entry It's going to be a very
interesting as we'll as very educating
feature. We have one running nearly a
year in Minnesota that can't be beat but
1t doesn't do our brother buttermakers
in other states any good. I earnestly
hope the monthly national contest NAV
become reality
So Minnesota is already gaining con-
siderable advertising as butter state.
This contest will be the only one to
be held next summer that will afford a
test of skill between buttermakers Of
neighbOring states and between states Of
the West and East 1t will be the one to
determine for the first time in the his
tory Of American buttermakng a cham
plon bUttermaker who wins his title by
six months battle in a field open to
all Corners 1t will be a preparatory
school for those who will compete for
the $1,000 purse to be offered at the
national convention next October. 1t
VIII be a means of checking up the
quality Of your summer butter ship
mentS and an aid to getting better re-
suits month by month.
A circular has been sent out enum-
Grating the advantages Of the contest,
saying among other things:
AS concerns each buttermaker indi-
vidually the good to be gotten out of this
contest will more than balance the cost
at 81 per entry, because at one scoring
and on the same tub an opinion will be
had from Chicago, New York and Phila-
delphta or Boston just as though the
butter had been sent directly to those
markets. This will train the buttermaker
IN the requirements of the leading sales
points as well as help each to improve
the product month by month as the con-
test progresses.
The score will not be a single score
once in the year where chance may play
sc large a figure. The element of chance
III IulS contest Is prdCJICdlly eliminated
because of the six tests month by month
and because each tub is to be scored
by each of three judges-the best in the
business To this impartial judging is
added the freedom from any possible out
side influence in that there are to be no
special premiums allowed to influence
the use Of any particular supplies or
machinery, and no commission house will
handle the entries except as the butter
may be purchased in one general lot
after the scoring. Not that these infu-
ences may be at all detrimental or other
than beneficial if allowed. Their alb
SERGE simply resolves the contest into a
straight out and out test Of SKILL one
tub with another and each a possible
winner.
The contest has in its power a broader
benefit to the creamery business as a
whole. No exhibit Of 500 tubs can be
brought together and a week spent in the
judging without newspaper comment on
it. and every word said will help some
butter consumer to a better understand
ing of what is good butter and where
and how 1t is made. Such a contest as
this, SO large in its scope has not yet
been held in America. 1t would attract
favorable attention from it's very size,
and. the element of determining the but
termaking championship would add Zest
and interest. 1t is the only general con-
test for the ye&r Of 1902 and will serve
the double purpose of training for the
big October purse and for the 1903 ex-
position entries at st. Louis.