The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-02-18
BY MATTHEW S. DUDGEoN.

Omagh, County Tyrone, Ireland
What the city woman needs Is butter
that Is standardized and always OF q
uniform eXcellence-butter Wnlcn
comes as fresh and comes as straight
as may be from the cow on the farm
to the table In the city dining room
With the husband singing In her ears
the song Of high cost OF hying-ano
what husband Is not driven to such
songs in these days Of high prices
she feels that she must get butter thai
can be bought at something less than
the fancy prices charged in the exclu'
sive delicatessen shops to which she
Is driven in her efforts to insure her
family a good grade Of butter. ASK
her and she will tell you that II coop
Grafton will enable her to get good but
ter at a price made somewhat less by
the elimination of excessive distribu'
ton charges then she Is heartily for
cooperation.
The city man Of course, wants a
good butter to eat. The farmer wants
to make money from his dairy. They
have been telling us in America that
direct cooperative marketing will give
each what he wants; that cooperation
has repeatedly accomplished these re-
suits where it has been tried in Ire
land, in Holland, in Denmark and IN
Germany. If cooperation will do this,
it is well to look into it for good but
ter is important-and financial profits
are worth while. So some Of US are
| over here in Ireland to see if co-opera-
| ton really is a benefit both to the city
eater and to the rural producer.
The cooperative creamery here is
turning out good butter-none better
anywhere. We think we have found
why Irish butter is good, why 1t brings
to the farmer a good price in this city.
The butter is good because co-opera-
tive creaIneries S good methods of
butter making; because their patrons
get good milk from good cows, take
good art of 1t, and deliver it In good
condition to the creamery; and lastly
because when once made 1t is hurried
off to a consumer before it can get
stale. They get a good price for 1t be-
cause it is good butter.
On the other hand, the city gets 1t at
a reasonable price because co-opera-
tive marketing in Ireland is direct
marketing; because the butter comes
quickly and directly from the cream
cry to the city home with little added
e for much handling by many
middlemen.
Why Farm Butter Is Sometimes Bad.
The writer remembers summer but
ter made from cream skinned from
uncooled milk and kept on the warm
pantry shelf during the long hot days
until churning time. 1t was hardly but
ter-it was in fact commercially
ranked grease" 1t brought six cents
per pound, and as butter was worth
less.
Failure to make good butter was in
evitable. Nor were the tired farmers
wives to be criticised for the poor re-
suits obtained. They had no facilities
for keeping the milk and rea clean
and cool, no facilities for making but
ter, no facilities for keeping it.
Cooperation Liehtens Labor.
What the woman on the farm most
needs is to be free from the burden Of
the endless handling Of milk, cream
and butter, from skimming the milk,
and churning the cream and from salt
ing and working and molding the but
ter-from. all the labor entailed in the
production Of homemade, handmade
butter. She needs it If she is to have
any life outside the kitchen and the
milk room.
The laborious WEAKNESS Of the un-
eventful existence of the farmers wife
has produced many candidates for the
insane asylums. More than one worn
out unfortunate has been taken into
custody because her household duties
have chained her to a maddening
monotony unrelieved by opportunity
for intercourse, and have made impos,
sible any thought above the churn and
the cook stove. One Wisconsin farm
er's wife was adjudicated by the coun-
ty judge to be afflicted with insanity.
When the judge announced the deci,
sion to the husband he was incredu-
lous. ut can't be she's got insanity
or anything else," he said. She's had
no chance to catch it. She hasn't set
a foot off the farm for IA years and no
neighbor has stayed at our house long
enough to give her anything"
If cooperation in the production and
marketing of butter will take off ever
a small part Of the burden of the farm.
ers' wife, If it will give her time to
s%traighten up from her work at table
and tub and leave her free to remem.
Der that she is a human being with a
head and a soul, If 1t will permit her
TO get off the farm oftener than once
in II wears-if cooperation will dc
this or help by ever SO little to do it
the woman on the farm Is for co-opera,
ton.
An Unsallant Irishman.
We have found one man here in Ire
land who Is opposed to co-operaGn
Walking along q country road neaI