76 Thirty-Fifth Annual Report of the 



lieve when they do that thing they do it to the disadvantage of 

 themselves. I know it to be a fact. 



The gentleman has spoken about the commission men in 

 Boston. Commission men are good fellows ; they are all right 

 if you make good butter enough so they can sell it to the con- 

 sumer, but you can't do it under the cream gathering system. 

 I have tried it. 1 have been in this business twenty-one 

 years-. Now, gentlemen,, the gentleman has told us he thinks 

 we could make better butter in winter from the cream 

 gathering system than we can with the whole milk system. 

 Now I do not coincide with his views. I believe that where you 

 have a cream gathering system the customer does not take very 

 much better care of the cream than he does of the milk. The 

 cream is kept in almost any old place ordinarily, and I will say 

 right here that is the worst condition of things that can possibly 

 be had. 



The trouble is with the creameries of the State of Vermont, 

 they are too anxious for business, they are too anxious to get 

 cream. Why, sir, I have had creameries where my team has been 

 over a route where Mr. A has been over the same route, Mr. B 

 has been over the same route and we were all out for business. 



If a patron's cream is not quite right and you go to him and 

 ask him to take particular care of it in the proper way, probably 

 he will be very sorry and promise to do everything you ask him 

 to, but the chances are that in a week you will have to go to him 

 again and he will say, oh, yes, I will take care of it, and perhaps 

 he does for a little while longer. Then he commences to get 

 back to the old way and if you speak to him again he gets a 

 little sore and perhaps you get a little sore and angry and 

 finally he will say,. "If you don't want my cream Mr. 

 A or Mr. B will take it every time." That is the situation 

 that confronts the creamery man in the State of Ver- 

 mont today. I believe it is a bad condition to get into, and the 

 farmers in the State of Vermont are the people who suffer for it, 

 not the creamery. We get three cents a pound for making your 

 butter (or two and a half cents, whatever we charge), no matter 

 whether it is good butter or poor butter. You bring your poor 

 cream, we make the butter, we get our pay for making it and 

 we are supposed to give you the balance. 



I guess there are a few farmers here, and I will say right 

 here I believe that nine-tenths of the creamery men in the State 

 of Vermont are skilled, honest men. I believe vou do get what 

 belongs to you, but I do not believe, as I said before, in using 

 the cream gathered system. I believe it is taking dollars out 

 of your pockets. The agent comes around and says, "Why, 

 buy a separator!" and he will make you believe that is the thing 



