TENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VIII 373 



we have we can't afford to follow along these lines. If we as buttermakers 

 enforce a rule of this kind it will help us to raise the standard of our 

 butter. 



A certain patron of my creamery said to me a short time ago: "I 

 believe in every man having an ideal — a high standard to strive for. My 

 ideal is to have a registered herd of Holsteins, and if God lets me live len 

 years I will have it." If you and I can get patrons as enthusiastic as that 

 man we will raise the standard of butter to the highest quality. 



The place to start sanitation is on the farm. Go out and mingle w'ith 

 your patrons. Take a little time and drive out and visit them if it is not 

 for more than five minutes. I was impressed with something at Mil- 

 waukee. A gentleman from Washington, D. C, in his adress, said: "You 

 can not go out to a farm and lay down seventy-five rules and expect me 

 farmer to follow them at once. You have to use a lot of tact when dealing 

 with the farmer." If you see where he is failing in some particular try 

 and enlighten the man along that line. Sow a little seed right there; and 

 see if it doesn't begin to develop. As soon as he becomes enlightened on 

 that subject begin another. Sometimes I think that we.asbutter makers, 

 are not interested as we ought to be along these lines. I am interested 

 in the dairy business — in the national association, in the state association, 

 in the district association, but I am interested more than all in the welfare 

 of my patrons. You may think I am radical, but, gentlemen, your interest 

 and mine is, first of all, to be among the patrons of our creameries. 

 Charity begins at home. I am interested in my creamery at Lament 

 more than anywhere else, and as long as I stay there I am going to work 

 to make as many dollars for the patrons as I can because they pay me 

 to do it. I believe that is the duty of you and I — not to work particularly 

 for wages and for self but for the interest of our fellow men and the 

 interest of the dairy business in the state. I thank you. 



DISCUSSION. 



President: I am only sorry that there are not several hundred 

 of the cow men here this afternoon to hear that address. I have 

 thought for a long time that the sooner Ave bring the buttermaker 

 and the patron together the better our butter would be. There are 

 two things that I think have troubled me as much in my 25 or 30 

 years' experience on the dairy farm as anything. One is, how can 

 I make my men be more cleanly about their milking and to take 

 better care of their milk room. The other is the care of young 

 calves. I would like to have these subjects discussed. 



Member: How do you do about sour cream, Mr. Stephenson? 

 What do they do when you refuse it? 



Stephenson : I wish to say that we only have seven cream pa- 

 trons. The rest is whole-milk. It matters not what they do. I 

 presume they take the cream back home and feed it. It is a bad 



