Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-03-20
IN A GREAT DAIRY COUNTRY
Billy Van Says Nebraska and Iowa
Destined to Be Best in
the World.
TALKS AT Atlantic DAIRY

Billy 2. Van, star In comedy, now play
ing at the Orpheum, is also a star in the
milk business and while there is nothing
in Il for himself, he is letting the people
Of Omaha know that he knows something
about keeping milk sanitary from the
time il Is produced until such time as 1t
reaches the consumer.
Both father and grandfather of Billy
r. Van were in the milk business in Hole
land and there he took his first lessons
on sanitary production and sale of milk.
He has now developed one of the most
widely known and complete dairy farms
and plants in New England.
The Billy b. Van dairy farm comprises
1000 acres of New Hampshire land near
Van Harbor and lying along the shores
OF Lake Sunapee. body of water having
forty-fiye miles of shore line. Here he
spends five months Of each year looking
after his dairy interests. Here the men
in his employ milk ninety COWS, selling
the milk at the summer resorts scattered
along the shores of the lake His milk
routes are not covered by wagons, but in
stead gasoline launches daily skirt the
shores Of the lake, delivering the milk at
at the cottages. hotels and towns.
Twenty Cents a Quart.
: While Omaha people think they are pay
ing high prices for their milk. none OF
them pay anything like Billy p. Van gets
for the milk that he sells Fer his GER
titled milk he gets % cents per quart and
is unable to supply the demand.
For fifteen years Billy b. Van has beer
talking better milk and better methods for
handling milk. He has been playing In
Omaha all week and each morning. in.
stead of lying ip bed and snoozing, he has
been UP with the sun and out to the
diaries, watching the production and
treatment of the milk, In his mild and
kindly way offering suggestions. Yester>
day he spent q goodly portion of the aft
ernooh at the plant Of the Atlantic SAM
tary Dairy company's now plant at Tween
ty-stxth and Leavenworth streets, goine
there Immediately after the matinee. AZ
the Atlantic Mr.. Van did not attempt t.
deliver a lecture. but he gave. the Off
GERS and employees a plain talk on mill
and how to handle and care for it. II,
spoke in the highest terms of the new
plant, saying, 'it is one OF the best
have ever visited and have seen abou
: all Of them IN the United States"
Following the visit to the Atlantic
plant, Mr.. Van was the guest of the off
GERS at luncheon and in turn they wer,
his guests at the evening performance a,
the Orpheum.
Greatest Dairy Country.
In his talk at the Atlantic Mr.. Van laid
stress upon the fact that In his opinion
within a few years Nebraska and low,
will comprise the greatest dairy country
in the world. for here" he added, "yol
have everything that is necessary. You
have the climate and the soil that will
produce the feed; you have the water and
the facilities for getting your products
into remote sections where stock raisine
may never be profitable. However, yos
have got to build ub your herds and learr
that It costs moro to raise a grade ami.
NAL than 1t does to raise a scrub BUY
the best animals that you can secure am
never let The strain run down II Vol
cannot afford TO buy a herd OF grad,
stuff on the start. then buy one animal al
time and keep on doing go until 70,
have weeded all OF the scrubs out Of the
herd"
Mr. Van spoke at considerable length
OF the Importance Of producing pure milk
asserting that in feeding milk-producinl
COWS as much care should be exercised
IN keeping them healthy as looking afteI
the milk after it is taken from the COW
and prepared for sale to the customer.