410 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



to insure fair treatment where creameries are charged with the 

 manufacture of adulterated butter. 



The penalties range from $100 to $750 for a single churning of 

 butter and it is our belief that the greatest care should be exercised 

 by those having the enforcement of the federal laws where the 

 penalties as so severe as in some instances to cause the plant to 

 suspend operations. 



CHEESE. 



The manufacture of cheese has shown a slight decrease during the 

 past year and the amount reported by these factories is 224,424 

 pounds. Very little interest seems to be exhibited in the manufac- 

 ture of cheese and there seems little hope of increasing the number 

 of factories in this state. 



With the increased assistance given this department by the last 

 legislature, we can, perhaps, give a little more attention to the 

 cheese factories than has been possible during the past and we can 

 possibly make those factories now in operation more profitable to the 

 producer. 



The quality of Iowa cheese has never been such as to command a 

 higli premium and this is no doubt one of the reasons that more 

 communities have not engaged in the manufacture of cheese. 



THE PRICE OP BUTTER. 



The attached table gives the average price of western extra 

 creamery butter in the New York market for each year since 1900. 

 The average price for the twelve months ending Nov. 1, 1911, was 

 26.13, this being about 4 1-2 cents less per pound than the price 

 for the previous year. The low average is due to an accumulation of 

 poor butter which was thrown on the market in the spring of 1911. 

 Much of the butter stored during the previous summer was not of 

 the best quality and was bought at a price which prevented its being 

 sold at a profit. 



