Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-07-24

TOGETHER To MAKE BUTTER
HANDLING THE SKIM MILK-LOw
TEST AND HIGH PRICE WRONG.
tF. l.. smith Of Franklin County. Vermont. at a
Dairy mems Conference At Burlington)
The prosperity of Vermont farmers is
largely dependent upon our dairies, and
every one who keeps cows, whether he
makes butter or cheese, or whether he
patronizes the creamery or cheese fac
tory, is helping to upbuild the prosperity
of the country. 1t is said that while
there have been great improvements In
other industries, there has not been
the same progress in farming methods.
think this impression is wrong. And
TO see the untruth of such statements,
one has but To go back 20 years and CON-
pare the methods then with the methods
of to-day in dairying.
don't say that many farmers are not
far behind what they ought to be,
don't say but what some are IN the old
ruts; but do say that as a whole, we
are on the way. If there has been any
one thing more than another that has
helped to upbuild the dairy interest Of
Vermont, il is the creamery. l never
saw a successful creamery without the
patrons. In fact, when the patrons be-
gin to drop out, the creamery begins to
go down.
WORK OF THE CREAMERY.
Under the old way of doing things,
the dairyman made his own butter.
And once a week he took it to the near
est market town, and sold it to the but
ter buyer for varying prices, say 10 cents
per pound or perhaps a little more.
When the creamery system came into
existence all this was changed. Every
man shared alike, and all | will say
about prices paid is they have been high
enough so that our creameries are very
largely patronized. Results speak louder
than any words.
We have the creamery. 1t is with us
TO stay. 1t has done good work. But
it would have done more if both parties,
the creamery man and his patron, could
have worked more in harmony. There
has been more friction than has been
profitable to either party. 1t has been
pleasure to me to notice that the i'll feel
ing existing between the dairymen and
the creamery men in these meetings
few years ago has disappeared, and We
are working in harmony for the upbuild-
ing of the cause. This is as it should be.
The man who thinks it to his advan-
tage to make his own butter should do
so, and the one who thinks it to his ad-
vantage to patronize the creamery
should dispose of milk or cream in that
way. The same good feeling that ex-
lists between the creameryman and the
private dairyman ought to exist between
the creameryman and his patrons. The
question is, how is this state OF things
to be brought about? In my mind there
are four points where trouble between
the creameryman and his patrons are
most likely 10 occur. They are the
skim milk, the care Of the milk and
cream, the test and the price.
The first will say but little about.
never had much very serious trouble
along that line and as have changed
from a milk creamery TO n cream gather
ing creamery, the question Is practically
settled as far as | am concerned. | will
saw though that I think IL one OF the
most disagreeable and aggrayating
troubles creaEeryman can have, and u
seems almost incOnceiyable that men
who would not take anything else will
take from each other thing OF so little
value as skim milk. OF course, the
creameryman Is respected to make Il hold
out.
In regard On the care OF milk and
cream, I will divide patrons into three
classes, the careful patron, the occasion
ally careless patron and the careless, or,
as I sometimes think, the don't care
patron. The first always has good milk
and cream. II Is clean and he takes
good care of IL, aud IL Is pleasure to
have Il.
Be sure 10 let him know that you
appreciate his way Of doing things.
The second class intends to have every
thing right, and does. as rule, but
sometimes when work is pressing neglect
may creep in, and the results won't be
satisfactory. You will likely have to
remind him sometimes that he must use
more care, but you will not have any
serious trouble with him.
The third class seems To think any old
thing will do for the creamery. Such
WON stItiu tue oah WIN o'Sh PNs
in the first rinsings of the milk pals SO
As 10 get all the dirt, | suppose. l have
known such people to put the cover on
2O-gallon can and put rubber pipe
from the cream spout down through the
vent hole to the cover and run the cream
into the can in that way from the time
of one gathering until the next and not
take the cover Oft at all in that time.
Some will not wash the separator but
once a week, and am not sure that they
do it then.
We hear great deal about education
along these lines and that We must edu-
cate them out of these things. ! am
tired of that kind of nonsense. 1t needs
something more stringent than educa-
ton. They know better than to do
these things. Education is no remedy
for nastiness. You had better use soap
and water. A good dose of refusal does
that kind more good than all the talking
YOU could do in q year. Just as long as
we will take poor milk and cream we
will get it, but when we begin to cut it
out, we will get better milk. The point
| is right here, if one refuses bad lot OF
milk or cream, the patron knows enough
| to know it is bad and he isn't going to
risk refusal again. If he has any pride
YOU have aroused it, and if he hasn't, the
sooner you are rid of him the better.
don't wish to be understood that
would reject milk and cream for every
little imperfection, but there are cases
where no other course will answer and
never yet refused any and was sorry fol
it afterwards.
AS TO PRICE AND TEST.
II seems to me that the most senselesi
thing creameryman ever did was to cu
his patrons test for the sake of paying
him higher price, or for any Other
reason for that matter, and believe 1t !!
something that sooner or later will
work to his injury. The test is one o
the chief causes of the patrons distrus
of the creameryman, and the creamery
man is largely to blame. 1t is not al
together so, but it is SO in large meas
ure. And the sooner we get down u
straight, square methods the better 1
II will be for us as creamerymen and tn
better it will satisfy our patrons. w
have among our patrons large number
II who are intelligent and they take pain
to know what their milk and cream
ought to test and they want US to pa,
for the last pound aud some Of then
want even more than that. Someone
SAYS my competitor uses those methods
iii ord 7 have IN mr. I can't do hllRiness