Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-07-25
pAIRYMEN RECEIVE NOTICE
FROM SECRETARY WILSON OF
DEPARTMENT OF AGRlcuL-
TuRE OF DECISION REACHED
WOULD BRING BIG
LOSS TO FARMERS
MANY cREAMERlEs NOW HAVE
TROUBLE IN KEEPING WITHIN
LIMIT AND OPPOSED ADOPTION
OF sTRlcTER STANDARD

Des Moines. July 24.-Dairymen
have been notified that Secretary Of
Agriculture James Wilson and Dr..
Riley, pure food expert of the depart
ment, have decided not to attempt to
enforce the rule requiring 82k per
cent butter fat in butter and limiting
the moisture to 1914 per cent.
Last winter when the national pure
food bill came into operation 1t was
found that DR.. Riley had fixed the fat
standard for butter at 82h per cent.
This would practically mean 1914 per
cent as the maximum amount of
water that butter should contain, or q
reduction of 2M per cent from the
leading standard Of the markets "a
the world.
Bulletin 80 OF the Iowa experiment
station was the only authentic work
on the subject that had been published
in any country at that time. Prof. G..
L. Mckay head of the dairy depart
ment at Iowa college, organized the
states and headed delegation to
Washington to protest against the en-
forcement Of the new standard for but
ter In the pure food bill.
Means Heavy Loss.
After listening to the arguments pre-
sented by the delegation, both SET
tary Wilson and DR.. Wiley prol.Is q
not to enforce the standard Of 82M per
cent. The adoption of such q standard
would have meant loss to the Iowa
farmers of over 100000 annually. The
make Of butter in Iowa is about 100000
pounds annually and this would have
meant a loss Of about 2h pounds in
the hundred.
Professor Mckay is conducting ex-
periments at Strawberry Point to as
certain by daily tests what relation
the varying per cents Of moisture
| have on the keeping qualities Of but
! ter. The butter Is sent to the leading
markets Of the world to be examined
as Liverpool, Manchester, London and
| New York.
Mckay Issues Bulletin.
| Fortunately for the dairy industry
Professor Mckay got out bulletin No
so at the Iowa station in 1908. Thit
was principally along the same line
of work. In the case Of bulletin No
80 the butter was made in the lead
ing creameries Of the state by the reg
ular bakers stationed there. The but
ter was sent to Ames where 1t was
scored and analyzed. 1t was then sent
| to New Jersey and rescored by the
leading expert, w. H. Healy, after
which it was sold. 1t was found ther
that the amount Of moisture up to II
per cent had no effect on the mar
ket value or the keeping qualities o1
| butter.
Can't Keep Within Limit.
Some Of the creameries are having
trouble in keeping within the T6 pei
cent limit. A very few have beer
forced to pay fines to the internal rev.
enue department of thousands of dol
lars, as any butter found containing
over 16 per cent water is classified al
adulterated butter and subject to G
tax of 10 cents per pound and the
| manufacturer has to pay license O.
| $500 per annum. Makers who had M
idea that their butter contained sc
much moisture have been prosecuted
on this point and been made to pay
this license.
If a maker churns his cream at
little too high a temperature he Is
| about sure to exceed the 16 per cen
limit and would be subject to a fint
. and the license fee. If the pure foot
4 standard of 82A per cent fat had beef
! adopted and an effort had been mad,
to enforce it during the summe
months, practically all the creamerie
of the state would have been put ou
Of business.
i In the experiment being conducted
at Strawberry Point observations ar
made Of all surrounding conditions
from the production of the milk vi
4 to the finished product. Strawberr.
Point has an ideal creamery in which
to conduct experiments as 1t receive!
between so 900 and 10000 pounds o
milk daily and is noted for producin;
about the finest grade Of butter in thu
! United States.