202 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



has recently come into such favor in Wisconsin, Iowa and the other 

 Western States under the name of "The Cream-Gathering Plan;" 

 also called "The Fairlamb S.ystem," for its originator. 



The chief featui-e of this system is indicated by its name — the 

 cream from many farms is gathered and carried to the factory for 

 churning. Besides having most of the desirable features of the 

 general factory system, tliis plan has the following special ad- 

 vantages : 



1. The milk is set at home on the farm where produced, being 

 the place and time best suited for getting all the cream. 



2. The cream alone is taken awa}', li>aving all the skim milk 

 upon the farm, and sweet. 



3. Instead of all milk being considered equally valuable as in 

 the case of the cheese factory, the best butter stock has the 

 advantage under this plan, b}' producing the most cream, and it 

 is the quantity of cream that determines the factory payments. 



4. The milk, within certain limits, may be treated according 

 to the judgment of the owner, as to the best method of cream 

 separating. 



5. The factory itself under this plan may be a very cheap and 

 simple affair. Instead of the necessity' for large storage rooms 

 and facilities for handling great quantities of milk and disposing 

 of the skim milk, alj that is needed is a suitable room and moderate 

 tanks for storing and ripening the cream, a churn and worker 

 and a working-room. 



We do not argue that this plan is perfection. Cream from 

 different cows and different farms, pound for pound or gallon for 

 gallon, differs in its butter making value as well as milk, but not 

 so widely. There is very great and very manifest injustice in 

 paying the owner of a herd of choice Jerse3S the same price for 

 bis milk as is given for that from a herd of ordinary natives or 

 even fine Ayrshires or Holsteins, provided tiio purpose is butter- 

 making, liut if the milk while creaming, is treated on the same 

 general plan on several farms, the value of a given quantity of 

 cream for butter making will be nearly the same, although there is 

 a great difference in the l)reeding and feeding of the cattle. The 

 difference is so small that it is found in practice in thousands of 

 trials, to be insignificant. So while theoretically and in fact, this 

 plan is not absolutely just, it more nearly approaches equity nmong 

 cow owners cooperating than any other 3-et devised. 



