146 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



formity, already sufficiently explained. In many cases the 

 butter and cheese produced by this method equals the best 

 ever before produced in the same section, and at times sur- 

 passes it. If this is doubted, just see the revolution which 

 this creamery system has wrought in the West. Under the 

 old method of separate dairies, they had the same soil and 

 climate, the same pasturage, practically the same cows, and 

 the same keepers. Then Western butter was known in East- 

 ern markets only as "grease." With the very general sub- 

 stitution of co-operative dairying in the West came the 

 change ; and the result is but too well known to us. West- 

 ern creamery butter beats that of our Eastern dairies all 

 along the line. Nor is this system successful only in the 

 West: even in the famous old dahying county of Orange, 

 New York, their factory butter now sells at the highest 

 price. 3. The advaotages in disposing of the product in 

 large quantities, and by an expert agent, whose special duty 

 it is to watch the markets, are as great as in the manufacture. 

 4. Last, but not least, is the great relief of having the milk 

 or cream taken off the farm, saving all further labor and 

 care. And this relief comes, as a rule, to that part of the 

 working-force of the farm which needs it most, — the farm- 

 er's wife and daughters. Often this dairy duty is just so 

 much in addition to the ordinary domestic cares, which are 

 of themselves as great a burden as should be borne. 



" Man's work is from sun to sun ; 

 But woman's work is never done." 



Relieve not only the hands of the butter-making task, but 

 take it, by this change, entirely off the mind, and a wonderful 

 improvement takes place in the whole household atmosphere. 

 Let me not be understood, however, as believing in an 

 entire substitution of the one system for the other. Associated 

 dairying originated in cheese-making districts, and in its 

 earlier forms is better adapted to that branch of the industry 

 than to butter-making. The butter-factory pure and simple 

 succeeded the cheese-factory ; and derived from both we 

 have the later establishments known by the general name of 

 creameries. But creameries differ much in their systems 

 and management ; and, in considering the question of intro- 

 ducing co-operative dairying in a given locality, the kind of 



