DAIRY MEETING. 157 



proper care. In one case I have in mind, cream a week old 

 that had had no care on the farm, had perhaps been set under 

 the shade of a tree as the only protection, was transported by 

 team sixty miles and then shipped by rail to the creamery once 

 a week. In some instances if a man had but little cream he did 

 not deliver it oftener than once in two weeks. This condition 

 exists today in some sections of the country and while the hand 

 separators have made such results possible, I believe their use 

 should not be condemned as they may be made a most satis- 

 factory way of handling- our cream product for the creamery. 

 We are working hard for an improvement in the quality of our 

 cream product in many states. That is why I say that INIaine 

 is producing and delivering to its creameries a better product 

 than any other state. Even the State of Vermont, considered 

 a few years ago the banner dairy state of the country, does not 

 hold the enviable position it once did. Its butter was considered 

 the standard of excellence but it has fallen off in quality. 

 Probably the State in the United States that is making the 

 greatest showing as regards quality is Minnesota, and yet they 

 have those large centralized plants with their poor product. 

 While the State of Minnesota holds an enviable record, it is on 

 account of the whole milk creameries which now exist, and the 

 operators of those creameries realize the importance of instruct- 

 ing their patrons in the care of their product, whether it be milk 

 or cream. It is a fact that I am very glad to note that the 

 highest score received at the low^a Dairymen's Convention held 

 at Waterloo this last fall, which I had the privilege of attending, 

 went to a gathered cream creamery, and I believe it is the be- 

 ginning of a new era and shows that the quality of hand sepa- 

 rator cream can be fine. This is not particularly interesting to 

 Alaine people as to any application they can make to their own 

 condition, but it may be interesting to compare results here with 

 those in other parts of the United States. Quality is the first 

 consideration, in the production and manufacture of all dairy 

 products, and when Ave are able to produce butter of the high- 

 est quality we can always command the highest price. I shall 

 be glad to see all butter sold on its merits, and when that time 

 comes the producer of butter of poor quality will be driven 

 because of necessity to supply a better article. Some states 

 are passing laws controlling quality, but this should not be 



