Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-06-22
CREAMERY PROMOTERS


There has come under the OBJ
servation of the Agricultural
Extension Department Of the
West Virginia University, the
fact that creamery promoters
have been operating in several
sections Of the state. Creamer-
les are good instruments for the
development of any agricultural
community, where there are
enough cows to support such an
enterprise, but to go into a sec
ton where there is practically
no interest along dairy lines, or
ganize a stock company, and OPP
en- a creamery, is hazardous in
the extreme. The history of
several such cases is that man
will enter a prosperous com
munity, claiming to be practi-
cal dairyman, affiliates himself
with two or three of the most
influential and prosperous farm
ers and shows them the advant-
ages that a creamery affords.
These men will then go with
him to see some of the neigh
bors, and interest is agitated
to such an extent that before
the hard working farmers real
ize what theys are doing they
have signed names to a contract
which will bind them for one or
two shares Of stock at $4,000
each The creamery will open
with no cream routes establish
ed and not a sufficient number
OF cows to supply the cream re-
quired. AS a result the plant
will shut down after operating
from sixty days to six months
and the farmer has his money
locked up in something that will
not realize twenty-five cents on
the dollar. However, this is not
the worst Of it. Any prospects
that the section might have had
of becoming a dairy section have
been paralyzed. Again, the
prices charged for the creamery
machinery is from twenty-five
to fifty per cent in excess of
what it should be- bought for
from a reliable creamery sup
ply company, and even then the
plant is not always completely
equipped.
1t requires about 400 good
cows to. support a creamery.
This number will vary some
what, depending on conditions.
Most of the feed for the cows
should be grown on local farms.
The advantages thata cream
cry offers are many. In the
first place, dairy farming is
generally considered to be one
Of the most satisfactory methods
of building up the soil-where
cream is sold, practically all of
the fertility is retained on the
farm. Secondly, the crops
raised are marketed very profit
ably in selling cream and thus
bring in a steady income thru
out the entire year.
The Extension Department of
the West Virginia, cooperating
with the Dairy Division of the
United States Department of
Agriculture, will be glad to get
in touch with any section desir-
ing creamery and will send
man to make a survey Of the
situation to determine the ad-
visibility of a creamery organi-
cation. Then, if the prospects
are good, specialist can be OBJ
tanned from the Dairy Division.
who will determine the proper
machinery necessary and will
give an accurate estimate as to
the cost. The Extension De-
partment strongly recommends
that no contracts be signed with
any creamery promoters until
after an expert from this de-
partment has looked over the
proposition to determine wheth-
err a creamery can be profitably
established. By acting upon this
advice, which costs the farmer
nothing, serious losses may be
avoided and more efficient
creameries established.