The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-05-18
WHEN WILL A
CREAMERY PAY?
When Farmers Are Ready For
1t, Not When 1t Is Ready
For Farmers.
BY A. C. kinney
Dairy Specialist of the N. c. Bureau
of Animal Industry

III certain sections or NOrtn
Carolina at present there is
what might be termed a lot of
creamery fever. This some
times originates among farm
erS, but more often among
over jealous town men who in
many cases are being led by
outside promoters who are
seeking eithr: IL job or the sale of
creamery machinery, who as Il rule
know very little about the require
ments necessary to make sure that a
creamery can succeed.
The outstanding and most fatal
mistake usually made is that they
suppose that if creamery is built
in section where there is admitted
ly not enough cows at the time to
furnish the raw product. that the
farmers will literally break their
necks to get into the dairy business.
The history of such promotions is
that the creamery Invariably dies
from starvation before the farmers
will or can keep sufficient cows to
furnish milk or cream for its opera
ton. Banks that succeed are always
built where there is money to be de-
/ posted. not where there may be
money some day. Saw mills arc plac-
I cd where there is timber to be cut
not where timber is expected to grow.
If crcamcrics arc to succeed they
must be placed only where there arc
lots of cows and consequently sur
plus milk and cream and not at some
place where cows are expected to be
/ kept in the future. but not now.
1t is not reasonable to suppose that
farmers will go rapidly into the dairy
business in any section where fol
generations there has rot been suf.
ficicnt supply of milk for family use
| Where conditions like these exist
farmers will be very slow 10 pro
ducc milk for creamery at the small
margin of profit realized by ever
our best and most experienced dairy
men.
\ creamery should not be organized
anywhere unless there is available the
cream from ut least 600 good cows
and not until the farmers hcvc beer
thoroughly acquainted with the re-
turns that may reasonably be cX'
pectcd. Last year the average price
paid for butter fat by the crcamer
les Of this State meant 4 cash return
TO the farmer Of something less thar
1:Jc for the fat contained in each gal
lon of milk. OF course they had lef
on the farm the skim milk and ma
nurc. out of which two things the!
had to realize what profit was made
Twelve gallons of skim>milk is wOrtl
about 40c for hog feeding purposes
when corn is worth one dollar PEI
bushcl. when corn is higher skim mill
is more valuable in proportion, ant
this is the chief use made Of skin
milk in all large creamery sections
In promoting combination ice cream
and creamery plants it is often hell
out as an inducemcnt to get farmers
interested. that for ice cream max
ing purposes IL lot of milk can be usct
at Il good price. One herd of 80 gOOt
cows can furnish all the milk an ic,
cream plant making POO gallons o
ice cream aday will buy. Five o.
six such herds will furnish all th'
whole milk that can be sold in an!
town per 10000 population. Thei
what is the only market sufficient t.
haudle dairy products in general an'
almost unlimited amount? 1t is th'
market that buys cream and churns i
into butter, the method first abOv'
mentioned.
1t is often the case that some in
dividual has surplus cream. but nom
of his ncighbors have. lie shoult
shin his to some already organized
creamery until such time rs ther
is number of his kind and it cal
be shown that there is enough bcin
SHIPPED out to justify Il local plant
Then is the time to build a cream
cry and not until then. There is II
farmer in North Carolina to-day VIII
is not in shipping distance of an al
ready organized creamery: logically h
should ship to the one that happen
to be nearest to him, but he is no
compclled to: he has fourteen t
chose from in this State, tOgethe
with quite number in surroundln
states.
The dairy industry is one of tn
largest agricultural industries in tn
world. and is constantly growing i
North Carolina, and is a business be
cause of its very nature which mus
; grow slowly and surely, learning t
; crawl we'll before it attempts tn
more advanced art of walking.
will then have to walk for years be
fore it attempts to motorlze ltsel
It should at all times refuse to D
, motorized by outside agencies VIII
propose to furnish the gas. but to fui
, nish neither the labor nor the MILK