386 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



yet, but they have made progress. During the past season their dairy 

 expert, in co-operation with men from the state dairy and food de- 

 partment and the U. S. department of agriculture, has scored cream 

 at the different creameries. The cream was criticized from the stand- 

 point of flavors, sourness, test and condition of can. The score cards 

 were given to the patron immediately after the cream was delivered. 

 On the back of these score cards were printed some dairy rules and 

 suggestions. This plan has served to agitate the subject of clean, 

 sweet cream in a very effective manner. We have noticed that be- 

 cause of it many old, rusty and jammed cans have been replaced by 

 new ones. The test has raised and the general quality of the cream 

 has beeh improved. 



I do not have any data which will show the effect upon the price re- 

 ceived, but the buttermakers are all of the opinion that this cream 

 scoring does a great deal of good, especially when they follow it up. 

 It also gives the buttermakers a backing in handling some of the 

 poor patrons. 



The buttermakers have shown themselves to be highly interested In 

 this work and have helped a great deal. They are at the present time 

 planning a meeting at North wood October 21st for the purpose of 

 organizing. They intend to meet each other, get acquainted and 

 promote co-operation instead of competition. Hereafter patrons with 

 poor cream will not be able to impose on a creamery because of riv- 

 alry between neighboring factories. 



Considerable has been done to improve the methods of dairying on 

 the farms. Last winter the dairy expert along with Prof. Hugh G. 

 Van Pelt, Mr. Estel and others held dairy meetings at the school 

 houses. For the most part they were held in the evening. Subjects 

 such as feeding, testing, dairy sires, dairy barns, raising calves and 

 diseases of cattle were discussed. Some 44 of these meetings were 

 held last winter, and the attendance ranged from 15 to 7 5. 



Through the efforts of the dairy expert, every patron of these 

 creameries (there are over 1,100) has received much good dairy 

 and farm literature. Some of the bulletins distributed treated the 

 subjects of "Milk Fever," "Managing a Dairy Herd," "Tuberculosis,"' 

 "Sanitary Milk Production," "Abortion," Bacteria in Milk," "Exter- 

 mination of Quack Grass," and "Canada Thistles," Each patron also 

 received one year's subscription to Kimball's Dairy Farmer. 



Ending with July, dairy herd contests were carried on for one 

 year. Upwards of $1,600 worth of prizes were offered for the high- 

 est averaging herds. The cows were checked over four times during 

 the year. Every three months the names of the patrons (arranged 

 alphabetically) with the average number of cows, the total amount 

 of butterfat and the average production were posted at the creamery. 

 The following report shows the record of the first ten herds: 



