FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 443 



tion about its being fair and just to the patrons, as well as to the 

 creamery itself, to pay different prices for cream. Anyone familiar 

 with buttermaking- will see how unjust it is to pay the same price 

 for cream that will only make an eighty-eight score butter that 

 they pay for cream which will make a ninety- four score butter. 

 But this is one of the difficulties. You go into a community and 

 start to grade cream, paying two prices — a difference of three 

 centg between first and second grade. If there are any cream buy- 

 ers in the vicinit}^ the first thing they will do is to say to the 

 farmer, 'What is the use of taking second-grade cream to the 

 creamery? "We will pay you first grade prices for it.' There are 

 also conditions where paying for quality will not correct the poor 

 cream evil because we have farmers who are not willing to deliver 

 good cream even if they get a better price for it. I know of a com- 

 munity where the farmers were offered 10 cents more for sweet 

 cream and they refused it. These farmers were only in the dairy 

 business as a side line. I believe cream grading is a matter of fair- 

 ness to the patrons, and that wherever possible we should pay a 

 better price for good cream than we do for poor cream." 



Mr. Sorenson said that Freeborn county, Minn., has been grad- 

 ing cream and milk ever since the creamery business started in that 

 county twenty-five years ago. The creameries adhered to this plan 

 strictly, although they only had one grade and that was a sweet, 

 clean product which could be made into butter that would bring 

 the top-notch price. Mr. Sorenson didn't think it practical to at- 

 tempt to introduce state-wide cream grading as it would be impos- 

 sible to get all parties to agree on the same grade. The per cent of 

 acid, according to Mr. Sorenson, is indicative of the kind of cream 

 delivered, and the kind of cream delivered indicated the kind of 

 work done on the farm. For this reason, he recommends the acid 

 test to determine the quality of cream. He suggested placing a 

 limit of .25 per cent acid as the limit for first grade cream and 

 from .25 to .6 for second grade. Cream containing .8 per cent or 

 more should not be sold. State wide cream grading would elimi- 

 nate cream stations. 



DISCUSSION. 



State Dairy and Food Commissioner Barney spoke briefly at this 

 time touching the most important points covering dairy conditions 

 in Iowa. He first expressed his regret of the present conditions 

 existing in the creamery business. After outlining what his de- 

 partment has been doing, he said that in his opinion it would be 



