The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1907-03-01
A Cream Testing Official.
&c. H. Farrington.)


Persons familiar with the buying
and selling of hand separator cream
at the present time, know that consid-
cradle controversy is caused by the
difference of opinion between the
farmer and the factory man, as to the
accurate testing of the farmers
cream. The hand separator is being
more and more widely distribut-
ed among the farmers every year, so
that hand separator cream is now one
of the salable products of nearly
every farm.
There are many buyers of cream.
The competition is strong, especially
in localities near a large town or a
railroad station. There will, undoubt-
eddy, always be market for the farm
ers hand separator cream, and since
the creamery business has recently
developed a tendency to centraliza-
ton, these large plants are often not
so particular about the sweetness of
the cream they buy, as has been the
case in the past, where cream Is sold
to the local factory This, in some
cases, makes the large buyer more
attractive than the smaller to the
farmers.
The testing of this cream becomes
a very important matter. 1t is well
known that cream testing is more diff
ficult than milk testing, but without
going into the details of testing, it
may be sufficient to state that many
farmers who sell cream, become more
or less suspicious that they are not
receiving an accurate test of the
cream they sell. The farmers claim
that competition is SO strong among
the various buyers of cream that they
may be given inaccurate test by one
buyer who is anxious to get their
cream from another man, and that
later, the test will be made equally in
accurate on the other side, in order
that the buyer may make up for his
loss sustained during the time he was
competing with his neighbor for the
cream.
1t is also claimed that even in CO.
operative creameries, some patrons
are given an excessively high test
while others are given a low test of
their cream, in order that certain dis
satisfaction may be quoted.
This condition of affairs seems to be
constantly growing worse, as COM
plants are being received nearly every
day from farmers in different parts of
the State; these complaints being that
farmers feel that they are not fairly
treated in the testing of their cream.
Several suggestions have been made
as to the best way of dealing with
this matter, so as to do justice to ALL
Among these are the following:
First. Let the creameries Go to 2O)
in given neighborhood, club together
and employ one man as official tester;
this man can do the testing for all the
factories in his district. This plan
may be made successful, if the official
tester is qualified for his work and he
is strictly honest. There undoubtedly
will be some difficulty in the selection
of this man, but where matters are so
bad as it is claimed they are in some
sections, the various factory men must
expect to give and take, in order to
finally agree on some person who may
act as an official tester for the fac
tories in a certain group.
Second. 1t has been suggested that
these official testers be employees of
the State, similar to the dairy inspect
ors now employed. This sounds to
some people very attractive, but when
one realizes that there are at least
5000 factories (creameries and cheese
factories) in the State, and 1t is hard
ly possible for one man to do the test
ing of as many as 80 factories, there
will necessarily be needed at least 100
of these inspectors.
Third The farmer may buy and
learn to use accurately a Babcock