STATE DAIEY ASSOCIATIOi^r. 519 



is lost is among the "might-have-beens." It might have been twenty cents 

 a pound instead of going into tlie swill barrel. 



Then the cream taken is too thin to churn economically, is ripened un- 

 evenly and churned at too high a temperature. There are three objections 

 to churning at too high a temperature. First, more fat is lost in the 

 butter milli, and of course the price is lost with the fat that is lost; 

 second, the butter milli does not leave the gx'anules as readily, and if too 

 much butter milk is left in the butter it will not hold flavor; third, the 

 grain is soft and the butter can not be worked without making a greasy 

 texture. The salt can not be distributed evenly all through the butter, 

 and wherever the salt strikes it deepens the color. Uneven salt, there- 

 fore, makes uneven color, or, as the buyer says, it must have come from 

 a brindle cow. The consumer in the city who knows very little about 

 couuti-y ways says that the butter has lard mixed with it. He certainly 

 knows what he is talking about, for he can see with his own eyes the 

 lard that has been unevenly mixed with the butter. The color gives it 

 away. This may seem as strange to the farmer as it does the city cousin, 

 who asked to see the cow that gave the ice cream; but it is not so funny, 

 for the color of butter means dollars and cents to the farmer. If you 

 want to get a better price for butter, just make sure that it is not mottled. 

 Then there is the matter of package. We take a man that is dressed 

 neatly for more than we do one that is slovenly dressed, though the 

 former may not be the equal in ability of the latter. We have heard that 

 a $50 saddle is often found on a $20 "hoss," but the $20 "hoss" will prob- 

 ably sell for at least $35, because of being associated with that $50 saddle. 

 So it is with butter. A poor package may reduce the price 5 cents a 

 pound. 



Farm dairy butter is often wrapped in pieces of garments or bedding, 

 that have been worn out in the service for which they were made; or a 

 package that was not full was sent to market in that shape or mussed 

 over on top with a ladle, instead of being cut off evenly with a string; or 

 perhaps it was put up in mussy rolls that are hard to handle, instead of 

 prints that can be wrapped neatly and packed close together, and cut 

 to advantage in the hands of the consumer. 



I am a believer in the creamery where one or two or three men together 

 make it their business to study all of these problems and make a butter 

 that is better than second-hand px-ocess butter. This is an age of special- 

 ties, and the farmer had better specialize in taking better care of his 

 cows, and by giving them his undivided attention, produce more and better 

 milk. 



My advice, however, to the farmers is not to jump into a contract for 

 a butter factory without knowing what they want. By seeking advice 

 from the agricultural college or experiment station before buying, and then 

 acting on the advice so obtained, they will get a better equipment for less 

 money than by taking the advice of an agent who wants to sell his goods. 



