370 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



testing apparatus is clean and in good shape; have him weigh up and 

 read the test himself; show him that you can duplicate the test and that 

 it will correspond. Put in a little time with him and he will he con- 

 vinced. If he is not convinced, have him take a sample with him and 

 send it to the state dairy commissioner. He will do this and I assure you 

 that your own test and the dairy commissioner's test will not vary much 

 provided you have done your part right. That patron will be satisfied and 

 tell his neighbors about it. If it is possible, have one or two of your 

 directors present when you do this testing for the patrons, for they meet 

 more frequently and can talk this over with each other. 



Have your patrons visit the creamery and see the way you are doing 

 the work. Do not be afraid to visit with them; tell them a story. (If 

 you do not know any some of the traveling boys will help you out.) In- 

 vite your patrons to bring down sample of the milk and test it for them 

 in the afternoon. They will be pleased about it and tell others. 



When you have to talk in regard to quality see your patrons alone. 

 Do not jump at him in a crowd, but use a little tact and suggest some 

 method how his cream or milk can be improved. Keep him in good hu- 

 mor and in nearly all cases he will try to do better. In a serious case 

 call on the State Dairy Department. It is a duty to assist our officers in 

 the affairs of the creamery, and if our secretary or manager does make a 

 mistake, as we all do, do not advertise it to your neighbors, but cover it 

 with the mantle of charity. Help and advise and we make friends for our- 

 selves and the creamery. 



When the annual meetings come around and some of the patrons 

 have a scrap that brings up matters outside of the creamery business 

 but threatens to come up at the meeting, it is up to the buttermaker to 

 see them and tell them not to mix that up with the affairs of the cream- 

 ery. If they want to fight and must fight, let thom take a day off to do 

 it, but let the affairs of the creamery be sacred. 



A great aid to keep up the good feeling of the patrons is to have a 

 good dairy paper among your patrons that instructs them in the great 

 dairy industry. They will read it and take pride in it and furnish a 

 good raw material. 



Now a word in regard to keeping on the good side of our neighbor 

 creameries, no matter whether they are co-operative or centralized. It 

 pays to be in harmony with them. Meet them and exchange ioeas. 

 None of us wants all the cream and milk. There is room for all. Hon- 

 est competition is no harm. We are human. When everything comes 

 our own way we are liable to get lax. That reminds me of the boy that 

 went to school and had to recite out of the bible and then explain it. 

 He chose "Daniel in the Lion's Den." He said: "They cast Daniel into 

 the lion's den, but Daniel did not care and apparently the lions did not 

 give a damn for Danny." But, he said, "If fleas had been biting the 

 lions it might not have been so fine for Dan." The same for us if we 

 have competition. Y>"e will do the best there is in us, watch all the small 

 details and stop all the small leaks and the patrons will profit by it. 

 Let our creamery and our conduct be clean, and the buttermaker will be 



