TWENTIETH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI 499 



the door of the creamery patron himself. He has attempted to secure the 

 services of a man as cheaply as possible and ordinarily he is successful 

 in his aim — he gets a "cheap" man. 



This department has been attempting to demonstrate to the creamery 

 management that "A good servant is worthy of his hire," and that low 

 wages are not always an indication of economic management. It is not 

 alone in their failure to secure a good butter-maker that the creamery 

 management is guilty of unbusiness-like methods. In several instances 

 we have found butter-makers, whom we have known from past experience 

 to be capable, obtaining low over-runs and manufacturing butter at 

 excessive cost. Investigation showed that the losses sustained were due, 

 not to the inability of the butter-maker, but to the poor equipment of the 

 creamery. In practically every case of this kind the butter-maker had 

 repeatedly urged the owners to install new apparatus but without success. 

 In general the owners of these crea:meries have been more inclined to 

 listen to inspectors of this department than they have been to their 

 butter-makers and I believe that most of the conditions mentioned can be 

 remedied during the coming year. 



There have been numerous instances of the cases cited and others 

 of a like nature, and the men of our dairy inspection staff have been 

 called upon to attend hundreds of evening meetings of creamery boards. 

 I am pleased to state that the inspectors have always shown a keen 

 interest in this work and have devoted many hours to it outside of the 

 time taken up by their regular daily work, without complaint. 



In view of the interest attached to high living costs during the past 

 year or two, it may be interesting to note the average price of creamery 

 butter during the past few years as compared with the price of the 

 first nine months of the present year. The prices quoted here are for 

 creamery extras on the New York market. 



1919 57.49 



1918 51.58 



1917 42.89 



1909 28.48 



Despite the increase of one hundred per cent in the cost of butter, a 

 comparison of it and other food stuffs will show that food value con- 

 sidered, the price is by no means exorbitant. 



Further, as the following table will show, the increased price of butter 

 is justified by the increase in feed prices. 



December, 1914 December, 1919 



Bran, per ton $24.90 $45.50 



Cottonseed meal, per ton 31.30 80.80 



Corn, per bu. .50 1.20 



Oats, per bu. .41 .64 



Hay, per ton 10.10 17.40 



Labor, without board 40.50 72.00 



Labor, with board 30.10 55.65 



Owing to the necessity of supplying sweet butter for the use of the 

 Navy last year but little was done toward bringing about a wider use of 

 the State Brand in the manufacture of creamery butter. This year, how- 



