The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-07-13
PUT ON ROUTE
IF ENOUGH COWS
DEPENDS ON WHAT FARMERS DO
Portland Company Willing to Cooper
ate with People of HOOd River,
Says Mr.. Lea.

If the farmers of Hood River will
assure a sufficient supply of COWS the
HazelwoOd Creamery Co. of Portland
will put ON cream route here at once.
1t is all question of whether there
are COWS enough, and whether or not
the farmers care to go into the busi-
ness
A. II. Lea, field superintendent of
this company, was here from Portland
last Saturday and attended the meet
ing at the Commercial club rooms in
the afternoon. The question of a
creamery or cream route was dis.
cussed, and a committee of three ap-
pointed by Chairman Shelley, who met
later with Mr.. Lea, and we're of the
opinion that it is lest .or the Hazel
wood company to send representa-
tive here next Saturday to make
canvass of the valley and find out just
what can be done by the farmers and
the creamery company toward estab.
lshment of this proposed route.
There was a large attendance at the
meeting and deep interest In the
subject at hand. Mr., Lea was intro
duced by Chairman Shelley, and he
stated In substance as follows
"Our company has large line of
pasturizing plants In operation thro'-
out the country; in fact no creamery
is considered complete today without
q pasturizing plant. In some locali-
ties the farmers own and operate such
plant and sell us the cream.
"But the first thing to be considered
in this matter Is the COW. Unless u
cow will return good profit farmer
cannot afford to keep her for dairy
purposes. 1t is estimated that COW
will cost $40 year for feed. Some
COWS will produce $50 pounds of butter
at in a year, but these are exceptions.
Monroe Miller of Halsey has ID
COWS which are returning him 500 a
year. There is another man at Clats-
kanie who made S2l00 gross from
herd of 20 COWS. About $50 COW is
an average return. Farmers should
get good cows and breed to o high
standard.
"Our company Is willing to co.oper-
ate with YOU In the establishment Of |
cream route or pasturiZing plant. |
You must understand, of cou 80. |
favor cream route In preference to |
creamery here, but that Is a matter
for you yourselves to decide upon. |
With our superior trade facilities we
are in position to pay you the top
market price for your cream. We are /
turning down a great many orders |
because we have not the facilities of
manufacturing the product for which
there is ready sale.
"a creamery plant would cost you
5000, You could not expect to con
sume all the product here, and then
there would be the getting of a mar
ket. We are in position to get from
cent to cent and half more for |
your butter than other creameries.
''If cream route IL established |
here, the cream would be shipped |
drive over the valley and collect the
cans. A sample would be taken from
each can and sent to PQtlaud for
testing. The cream would 10 weighed
and q record furnished the farmer.
On arriving at Portland, the cream
Is again weighed and report of the
test sent to each patron. II the bust
ness justified 1t we would be pleased
to establish pasturiziug plant here.
The tests would then be made here.
| believe this would be better than a
creamery. We would make the charge
for collecting the cIean at whatever
it cost, probably about cent a
pound. Separators for ten COWS could
be bought for S95. There should be
800 COWS to justify establishing pas
turizing plant. About Is cows would
establish route. ="
j. II. Shoemaker of the Barrett dis,
trict declared the farmers would he
forced to interest themselves In the
creamery busipess, as that district Is
a hay producing section of the valley.
Il. l.. Smith spoke In favor of the
creamery business. He also believed
the proposition OF silos should be con
sidered at once if the farmers pro-
posed going into the creamery bust
ness "Get good cows" urged Mr..
Smith, "and then endeavor to breed
up to standard of excellence. No
country can excel Hood River valley
in the production of fine clover, and
/ am confident the creamery business
will add to the prosperity of the far
mers and busine men. " g..
E. d. Calkins favored the Bates
strain of the Durham stock for milch
COWS, saying he had experience with
this breed In Colorado,
Leslie Butler asked how Hood River
valley compared with the Willamette
valley as regards qualifications for the
dairy business. Mr.. Lea replied that
with irrigation he considered Hood
River valley far ahead. Last summer
the season was very dry, and feed had
to be supplied the COWS of the Will.
annette valley, while the supply of
butter fat ran very low.
'An average COW should test 3.6
per cent of butter fat, " said Mr. Lea.
"The feeding of ensilage goes long
way toward the success of the dairy
business. A lO0-ton silo can be con
strnCted for S7j. would also advo-
cate the raising of kale, which keeps
green Ii the year round. Vetehes
stand next to alfalfa as a feed for
COWS. There is little difference 10
the balance OF ration between red
clover nd alfalfa. "
Mr.. Staten said he obtained best re.
suits by alternating In the winter
with clover aud alfalfa.
j. II. Shoemaker declared the only
solution Of the too much hay problem
was the establishment of d cream
route for the present, and perhaps
creamery later He preferred the
cream route and prolfered his support
for whatever the majority concluded
best
MIR. Shelley believed there was moth
ing to hinder the establishment of a
cream route at once, and thought the
meeting should take preliminary steps
toward the organization of such an en-
terprise.
b. f. Shoemaker moved the sp-