The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-01-30


A press dispatch from Albert Lea,
Mimi, says that the annual report OF
the Clarks Grave creamery, located
not far from Albert Lea, and the first
cooperative creamery to be establish
ed in Minnesota, shows 1926 cows fur
nishing milk and cream to the plant.
The average production was 157
pounds CT butter fat, which would
mean about 1888 pounds of butter per
COW per year. The average price was
$55.73 per COW for the year. The cost
of manufacturing the butter is IL
cents per pound, which is said to be
much less than the cost in most cream
cries. The plant is first class one,
naturally, or it could not show such
results. 1t is evident, also, that it has
been we'll managed. The creamery
was organized in May, 1890, and has
been in continuous operation ever
since, with. the exception when a new
brick building was erected In place
Of the original frame structure. Dur
ing those 20 years the creamery has
paid to its patrons $1.2oS,323.90, or
over $56,SS2 a year. The writer Of
the dispatch attributes to the cream
cry much of the prosperity Of the
community which it serves, and he is
undoubtedly right. An interesting
feature is the manner in which the
institution was financed. The concern
is a mutual one, and there is no CAPT.
tai stock. The money with which to
build the plant was borrowed, and a
sinking fund was created with which
to wipe out the Indebtedness. This
has been done, and for some time the
patrons have owned the plant free
from all incumbrance.
This, in brief, is the story of an in
stitution, not by any means a large
one, which has been an exceedinly
important element in the life of that
community, and which has contribut-
ed greatly to its prosperity. The w.
ures given above mean great deal,
but they tell only bart of the story.
The money received from the sale of
cream is but small part of the act
ual results of such an enterprise. Such
a concern cannot exist without affect
ing in a marked manner the entire
farming practice of the community.
The keeping of nearly 1900 COWS
means the cropping of large areas of
land for fodder rather than for grain.
It means more corn and grass and
clover, more silos, more hogs to con-
sumo the separated milk and the BY
products of the factory. 1t means
that fertilizer is being returned to the
soil instead of being shipped out of
the country in the shape of grain. If
We knew all the facts we would un-
doubtedly find that the land in that
vicinity in increasing every year in fer
tility instead of running down. We
would find that when grain crops are
raised, as they will naturally be as a
part of the rotation. the yield per acre
is immensely greater than it was be-
fore the creamery was established.
All of these are highly important.
Then there is the financial side Of the
subject as it affects the problems of
general farm france and farm man.
agement. Exclusive grain farming has
always been uncertain in its results.
The crop is harvested once year, and
whatever revenue there is comes in at
one time. During the remainder Of
the year tn farmer must trade on
the accumulations of past years, if
he has been fortunate enough to make
any, or on the prospects of the com
ing crop The latter practice has
been quite generally the rule. That
means a line of long credit and, quite
often, chattel mortgage. Long cred
it almost always means unwise buy
ing. Purchases are made that could
be avoided or postponed, and that
would not be made were business done
for cash or approximately so. 1t is
so easy to say charge it" that the
phrase is apt to be overworked. Long
credits, and the uncertainties of a one
crop system necessarily mean higf
prices. They involve some bad &C
counts, some losses, and the dealer
must protect himself by making the
good customers carry the bad.
A community that has source O.
revenue that is regular and from
which the returns are coming in al
the time is a community that ha:
money in the bank, that is able to pay
cash for what it buys, and, conse
quently, that is able to buy at bottom
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