Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-12-22
,Farmstss Wives Demand crsamsry
prises Fer All Butter. Good and Bad.
apd Msst u Il u DECLARED 70 b Bad
AN Dumped and Sold TO Commits
sion Men-Final pispesaI Mystsry.
Ia UNDERSTANDINGS.

ties Of Iowa. In recent article it was
shown that the country merchant Is not
benented by the high prices on eggs.
in fact has been losing in the recent
shipments.i but his loss on that particu-
lar article Of produce is small in COM
parison with the loss he sustains In
handling the product of the farmers
wife,s churn. designated in the market
reports usually as dairy butter.
Lose on ALL Butter.
Every country merchant interviewed
reported substantially the same condi--
lions. On all the dairy butter which
they take In exchange and which they
consign to the commission houses they
lose from 80 per cent to 80 per cent
Of the, purchase price,-no small item
Of expense, az in spite of the number
Of creameries scattered -thruout the
country many farmers wives continue
to churn butter. And the price paid
for It in exchange by the. country mer-
chant Is almost invariably the PREVAIL
ing price Of the best creamery butter.
II the creamery price is 80 cents, the
farmers wife expects and receives ~
cents for what she markets, regardless
of quality. The fact is that eighty or
ninety out Of every 100 Of these home
butter makers do not make the best
butter. The proportion Of those who
make butter equal to the best cream
cry butter is very small. The poor
butter can not be sold locally. the
housewives Of the town will not accept
It and It is shipped to the commission
houses, which pay for this 30-cent but.
ter from u 70 IL cents. according to
GRADE. and Il - never graded too high.
Nearly every farmers wife thinks she
makes good butter. because she made
II herself. It would be deadly Insult
for tho country merchant to even mint
that the butter she brings in Is not up
"a standard. BY far the greater major
ifv of these butter makers are not
xtGxe 4h9t they make poor butter, and
those who do know Il would be a. bad
u insulted as the unwise II the 1ace
were called to their attention by the
country merchant. That some OF them
Know IL was demonstrated recently
when one woman brought In several
rolls Of butter, traded them in at the
creamery price at the country store
and then purchased creamery butter at
another store to take home for the use
Of the family. 49,,
compstition Makes Evil Possible.
Tho competition for the farmers
trade among the merchants OF the
town and those Of other small towns IN
the near neighborhood prevents an
avoidance Of the situation. Custom
has developed the situation and without
organization and cooperation among
the country merchants It can not be
avoided. Il Is another handicap In
~. fisht for existence against the mail
order houses, who take no produce IN
exchange under such conditions ana
hence suffer no losses from such
source.
n bcal merchant Of this city recently
trfeh TO overcome to some extent his
loss IN the shipments Of dairy butter.
After considerable correspondence ana
flnaliv Z personal interview he received
: half hearted OTTER Of ono house to Try
- self for him on the city markets Q
selected shipment Of dairy butter that
.,vas If excellent quality. He made the
shipment, carefully wrapping the rolls
n individual packages to prevent con-
tact. HeaTfng nothing from tho ship
ment for several weeks he wrote the
house ana received the reply that they
mad such stock Of brtter on hand tnas
thew were obliged 20 dispose OF before
thew could handle his shipment that
thew could not inform him when no
would get returns, and much later ne
recetyed payment therefor that was out
slightly moro than he would have re-
ceived had he dumped ill the butter
onna. had and Indifferent, into q cask
ana shipped as.is the usual custom.
what become Of this butter the mer.
c,,..t does not know. He knows chat
cifv nrfces on butter keep above the
nice he receives With startling ease.
M matter what the grade. and he must
rim ana bear the loss. He will. how
ever. Welcome the time when the churn
VIII - banished from tho firesdde and
oniv creameries viii be left to compete
IN tho butter market.