372 IOWA EEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



I believe that the farmer is making a mistake these days for the 

 simple reason that he is not using his head to figure out these things. 

 I have a farmer in our community that I believe is an up-to-date far- 

 mer. He is a farmer that I take pride in holding him up before the 

 patrons of my creamery as an ideal farmer. Why? Because I know 

 he is producing his feed for his stock for less than half of what the 

 average farmer is producing it. To a cow on full milk he gives a bushel 

 and a half basket of silage twice a day. He has a measure that holds 

 about three pounds of feed. That feed consists of oil meal, bran and 

 corn meal in nearly equal parts. I ask him if he knew what his cows 

 were doing and he said he did. "My cows", he said, "are paying me $2 

 for every dollars worth of feed I put into them." Isn't that a good in- 

 vestment? 



I was talking with a man coming down on the train — a secretary of 

 a certain creamery. He told me that they had a buttermaker who was 

 giving them a 7 per cent overrun. Isn't that ridiculous where it ought to 

 have been at least 21 or 22 per cent? Think what a loss this was. A 

 difference of a 20 per cent overrun and a seven per cent overrun will 

 figure out 4^2 or 5c on every pound of butter manufactured. 



I do not believe there is a buttermaker in the state of Iowa who can 

 afford to make butter without a starter. There are any amount of them 

 doing it, but I am sorry of it. You can't afford to do it even if you would 

 have to pay 2c a pound for milk to get it. 



Now another thing that appeals to me. Wo as buttermakers had ought 

 to enlighten our patrons along the line of breeding. We should get our 

 farmers to understand they must look to the milk strain when they buy a 

 sire to head their herd. 



Another thing. I am going to tell you a little thing that happened to 

 me. I went into a hardware and the tinner was getting ready to 

 mend a can. I asked him if that can belonged to one of my Patrons and 

 he said it did. I examined it and told him he need not fix it. He said the 

 man left it to be fixed. I told him it was not fit to deliver cream in, no 

 matter to whom it belonged. He said it belonged to the president of the 

 creamery board. I told him I didn't care if it belonged to the president 

 of the United States I wouldn't accept cream delivered in a can in that 

 condition. Just at that time the president came in. I showed him that it 

 wasn't fit to deliver cream in and he says, "I believe you are right." He 

 bought a new can. 



'It is our duty to impress upon our patrons the importance of cleanli- 

 ness in handling their milk products. If we get a low score on our butter 

 I believe you and I are in a large degree to blame because we didn't point 

 out to the patrons the defects in their raw material and prescribe a 

 remedy. 



Another thing, I impress upon the patrons of my creamery at the annual 

 meeting is that we will not receive any poor or sour milk at the creamery. 

 I positively refuse to take it. I let them understand that if they do send it 

 I will return it. It is necessary that we be very strict because when we 

 have buter judges capable of pointing out to you the defects in butter as 



