REPORT OF STATE DAIRY INSTRUCTOR. I95 



on the whole, the plan worked admirably and during the first 

 year, the quality of the product was greatly improved, nearly 

 every factory reporting some improvement. This meant an 

 increased amount of money paid to the patrons in the State, 

 amounting to many thousands of dollars. 



That improvement has continued from year to year until now 

 the average amount of defective cream received at all our fac- 

 tories amounts to less than five per cent, where at the start, it 

 reached as high in some instances as fifty to sixty per cent of 

 the product. 



This association has taken up other matters which have been 

 beneficial to the producer by increasing his prices and improv- 

 ing the general standing of our products on the market. 



Much time was spent in calling upon the creameries and 

 patrons to become familiar with the condition existing at the 

 creameries and the causes for the distrust on the part of many 

 patrons. An earnest effort was also made to harmonize the 

 interests of the producer and manufacturer by visiting the 

 patrons at their homes. . 



This work among the creamery patrons of the State has 

 shown excellent results because they were in a mood to sit down 

 and talk candidly over the situation and make suggestions as to 

 what could be done to improve it ; a similar interest was found 

 among private butter and cheese makers, and in my judgment, 

 more personal work, if it were possible, would help to inspire 

 confidence in the business. I am of the opinion that our cream- 

 eries could well afford to become better acquainted with their 

 patrons for this very reason, to say nothing of the knowledge 

 which would be imparted, and the better understanding reached 

 by personal contact. 



Institute and grange meetings were attended and talks 

 were made explaining the working of the Babcock test and the 

 method of ripening and churning cream, always emphasizing 

 the necessity for the utmost cleanliness in handling milk and 

 cream and caring for milk utensils. 



Special effort was made to have a uniform system of testing 

 at all the creameries. Samples of cream were sent out at 

 different times to the creameries for them to test and report 

 their results, that a comparison of the work could be made. 



