50 THIRTIETH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE 



our proprietary creamery about three years ago. The farm- 

 ers put their heads together, put up a building and the ma- 

 chinery into it and now make their own butter. The cream- 

 ery patronage has increased from nineteen to seventy-five. 

 The butter is made at a cost of from 2% to 2% cents while 

 nearly all the other creameries are charging three cents for 

 making the butter. It seems to me if the farmers would com- 

 bine, take matters into their own hands and do their own 

 business, then there would be none of this fault found. Es- 

 tablish an open way for running your business, have your 

 books open at least once a year, have auditors to go over the 

 books, have a board of directors to work in connection with 

 the management of the creamery. If any patron is dissatis- 

 fied ask him to come to the books and look the matter over. 

 We find in our valley that this method has been successful and 

 at the present time we are putting in a new skimming station, 

 and probably by another summer our patrons will number 125. 



Mr. Holt. I would ask Gov. Hoard, if it is not probable 

 that cream carried to our creameries which has been kept 

 under different conditions, at different temperatures gathered 

 only twice a week, churned quickly after being received at the 

 creamery, if it is not probable that a large per cent of the fat 

 would be lost in the buttermilk being unchurnable because of 

 the different conditions in which it is received, hence causing 

 a loss as compared with home churning? 



Gov. Hoard. That would depend upon the skill of the but- 

 ter maker. Skill tells on the farm; tells everywhere. Hones- 

 ty also tells everywhere, and a dishonest creamery is a stench 

 in the nostrils of a large number of patrons. Dishonesty is a 

 factor that comes into the cooperative as well as into the pro- 

 prietory creamery. Only a few days ago I saw a cooperative 

 manager driven out because he had been selling butter without 

 the knowledge of his patrons. But, answering the question, 

 it depends upon the skill of the butter maker. If a skillful 

 operator takes cream from every direction and in almost any 

 condition he may churn it to its lowest equation; if unskillful 

 he is less likely to do this. But one point more, and that is the 

 lesson. Every creamery and every individual farmer should 

 be intelligent. There is no excuse in this day and generation 

 for lack of intelligence on this question. A community of 

 intelligent patrons can invariably have an honest creamery. 

 The management cannot get away from it. Intelligence 

 among the patrons will force it to be honest and square and 

 skillful. 



Adjourned. 



