Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-06-04
BUTTER IN A BATTLE:
SAMPLES FROM MANY STATES

The government is making n test
in Chicago to determine @the old
question as to which state produces
the best butter. Such test made by
Minnesota has just closed at Mime
apolis, but the result is not looked
upon as conclusive. The govern
ment test is being conducted under
the direction of W. ID. ColIyer. United
States Inspector of butter exports,
and Il. ID. White, field inspector of
the Minnesota dairy commission.
Tubs OF butter have been sent from
all parts of the country To compete
for the distinction of being the best
the nation can produce. About 500
tubs i'm all have been examined. OF
these 375 were rejected as not of
sufficiently high grade to be admit
ted. Only 125 will, therefore, pass
through the fun test.
Those which have passed inspection
will be kept in cold storage at the
plant of \. Booth & Co. for six
months, when they will be taken out
and again subjected to critical eN-
animation. The tub of butter that
comes best out of cold storage at
the winner. Although result of the
experiment will not be known until
December, already many bets have
made in South Water street as to
which will be the banner state.
The government test is being made
as the result of efforts on the part
of the National Creamery Butter
Makers association. Each maker en-
tering the contest sent twenty
pound tub. Much of the butter re
iected was found to have only slight
faults, scarcely distinguishable to
any other man than an expert. Fine
yellow butter was put upon the black
list because ii was ''weedy"-that is.
because the cows had been allowed
10 eat weeds, which gave an obiec-
tionable flavor to the butter. Other
tubs shared the same fate because
the color was streaked or the butter
was not tidily packed. During the
scoring many professors from state
agricultural colleges were present,
as the test has attracted widespread
The butter-makers whose product
was rejected have each been sent
carefully written report of the rea-
sons for their bad luck. They have
all been frankly told just what was
wrong with their butter and instruct
ed how they can alter their methods
so as to escape future objection and
attain better results.
Butter-makers in Minnesota are
very anxious to win for that state
the reputation of being the best
state. OF the sam
pies entered in the contest there
were us from that state. Wisconsin
and Iowa were also largely represent
ed. South Dakota sent more speci-
men tubs than Illinois and Michigan |
and North Dakota almost as much as
Ohio and New York.
In. speaking of the tests Inspector |
Collyer said: "'The national organ
zation of the butter-makers has long /
desired to make some conclusive test |
and at the last convention plans were |
made to carry out the idea.
when the butter-makers were
about To gather their samples of
butter the government decided to
ook into the matter. This pleased
the men most directly concerned,
because the test will now bear the
stamp of government authority and
Will be accepted as a standard. The
have done all they
could do to make the ex-
pertinent complete. Tubs of butter
nave been sent from nearly every
state in the union.
'Those who have sent butter that
4. |
% the extent of having their product
Examined and passed upon by ex-
'erts. The reports sent them should
,e of great value in guiding them in
he future. s,xlA