Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-01-02
The Profit in the Creamery.

The Profit in the Creamery.
The proposition of making creamery
plant pay is an interesting one. A Con-
necticut subscriber writes the New Eng
land Homestead as follows: al would
like to start a creamery but from what
information l am able to get cannot
see how butter can be sold at Is to 20
cents pound when il takes ten quarts
milk at l-2 cents quart to make one
pound of butter, to which must be added
something for operating and margin
of profit. / would like to know how
this is DONE" The subscriber in quot
ing figures, uses extreme cases, and
does not take into consideration all the
conditions. This is very well brought
out by the following paragraphs from
successful creameries in different parts
of New England.
The amount of milk for pound of
butter may be correct, but think the
price for butter given is too low. But
ter should average to sell for "a cents
for the year at the lowest, and the ex-
pepse per pound should not exceed 3 l-2
cents. would rather sell butter at 20
cents net than milk at 2 l-2 cents per
quartz. NJ. Rugg. Berkshire Creamery
Cooperative Association, Massachusetts.
| lack the practical experience in
creamery work to speak with perfect
authority on the question raised by your
correspondent. Certain points, how
ever, are very apparent. Creameries
are not usually operated on the basis OF
a quart price for milk, but on basis of
payment either by the space for cream
or according to the butter fat content OF
cream or milk delivered, as determined
by the Babcock test, and there are many
localities where farmers are ready to
produce milk and to sell the cream or
butter fat on this basis at prices which
net them considerably less than 2 l-2
cents per quart for the butter in their
product. Under the usual system they
have the SKINNED milk in addition to
what they receive for the cream or but
ter fat and this is worth Is TO l-2 cent
per quart, according TO locality and
possible market. 1t is self evident that
no one could operate creamery, paying
2 l-2 cents a quart for milk, averaging
per cent butter fat, at a profit If he
must sell the butter at Is TO 20 cents per
pound. These figures per pound, how
ever, aye below the average rates for
good butter for the last year or two
William Brooks, Massachusetts,.
Your subscriber evidently thinks he
is asking a question no one can answer;
namely, How To sell butter for less than
the cost of milk and yet make profit,
but would like to explain TO him that
it has been done twice in this territory
in recent years, as follows: The cream
cry man leases plant for short term
and starts out in the early part of the
season to pay extravagant prices and
secures a large amount of milk. Pay
ments for each months delivery to be
made the 10th of the following month,
about the goth of July, the creamery
man goes through bankruptcy and
leaves the farmers with their expert
ence. However, legitimate creamery
business does not depend on this method
of doing business for success. There
are many sections of the country where
milk is not worth l-2 cents per quart
TO the producer, neither is butter as low
as Is cents per pound at all times, for
Instance it has been 81 cents per pound
wholesale in less than II months.-G. ii.
Clatlin, Manager Franklin County
Creamery Association, Vermont.
Cost of ten quarts of milk at l-2
cents quart equals - cents; price one
pound butter 20 cents, leaving a loss of
) cents. | pass. Ask Rockefeller. |
haven't "had experience of this sort
E. l.. Bradford, Manager Turner Center
Dairyiug Association, Maine.
Opening a creamery on the margin your
subscriber names would be folly. We
would say several factories have been
started in this part of the country and
all have failed by reason of being too
far from market and obliged to pay too
high for cream or milk to give margin
of profit. AS for our existence We had
TO drop the butter or it would drop US,
and work on other lines. Don't put
YOUR money in creamery without
bright prospects close at hand. 1t will
not pay to experiment as there are now
too many idle creameries in this and
other states that started on the II guess
so" plan. The above is our honest
opinion.-PrOprietOr of Houlton City
Creamery, Maine.
Any one who could not make butter
which would not bring over Is to 20
cents per pound where milk could be
sold for l-2 cents per quart has no
chance whatever. But perhaps he could
go back where the milk is too far from
market and then l think he would want
to get better prices as the butter ought
to bring the patron 20 to % cents per
pound besides expense. We are paying
our patrons 20 IL to p cents per pound
for butter fat and do not get any more
cream than we want. Some OF the
farmers seem to prefer selling milk at
= l-2to3 cents per quartz. j. Fales,
Greylock Creamery, Massachusetts,.
Local creameries obtain an average OF
"a to 20 cents for butter the year round.
The milk if worth l-2 cents is general
ly at some distant point where the farm-
er must be on hand very regularly IN all
kinds of weather and the wear and tear
and frequent inconvenience are worth
considerable. Then when the milk is
sold whole there is nothing left to raise
stock. The raising of calves and pigs
makes it possible to raise larger crops
from the extra manure thereby obtained.
Also il is found that in community
devoted almost wholly to dairying, a
special effort is observed among the
larger and more prosperous dairymen to
keep only such stock as will show
higher test in butter fat, thereby taking
less quarts to make a pound of butter.
It is getting so that If creamery Is
located near a city or on railroad
where milk car is run the farmers are
ant TO sell their milk whole as the de-
maud for milk makes the price average
more than 2 l-2 cents per quart, when
price makes it hard for creamery 10
eaual.-W. G. Moulton, Monson Cream
cry, Massachusetts,.
If YOUR subscriber can sell his milk for
2 1-2 cents per quart he should oy an
means sell it, as he cannot handle mix,
worth IL cents per quart ana sell
butter at Is to 90 cents per pound. i
handle milk by the Babcock test ana
charge the patrons l-2 cents per pounu
for making, furnishing packages, SAT-
color, etc., also the machinery. Inc
patrons take the chances on the markets.
IT. NJ. Casey, Willow Brook Creamery
Starksboro, Vt.
State Geologist Kummel of New Jer'
sey, one of the members of the forestry
commission of that state, believes that
forest cultivation can be made decidedly
profitable, especially in those parts OF
the states where lands cannot be proht-
ably employed in agriculture. Forty-si1
per cent of the area of New Jersey Is IN
forests, and there are hundreds of thou
salds of acres of these lands in South