THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX 509 



prerequisite for the successful operation of a creamery. Unless the loca- 

 tion is such that the creamery can engage in sidelines such as ice cream, 

 sweet cream, etc., it can hardly be considered safe to start a creamery 

 unless the raw product from not less than 600 cows is assured. 



The local town organizations, such as the commercial clubs and similar 

 bodies, should be ready and willing to assist the farmers in organizing 

 It is often that the town people are in a better position to sell stock for 

 the proposed organization than the farmers themselves. The subscrip- 

 tion of stock should not become payable until a given number of cows 

 have been subscribed. If the total amount of stock cannot be sold to the 

 farmers then the town people should be willing to show their faith in the 

 institution by subscribing for a limited amount of stock. It is advisable, 

 however, that the producers own the controlling interest, for if the man- 

 agement of the plant is in the hands of the non-producers then the farm- 

 ers are apt to become more or less dissatisfied and such a creamery is less 

 liable to be successful than a strictly individual concern. 



After a sufficient amount of stock has been sold and the desired num- 

 ber of cows assured a meeting of the proposed stockholders is called for 

 the purpose of organizing. Temporary officers and directors are elected 

 and a building committee is appointed. Often the directors constitute 

 this committee. The building committee should present plans and speci- 

 fications and estimate the cost of a plant which they would consider most 

 suitable for the proposed creamery, and if such are accepted by the stock- 

 holders it should be left to the building committee to have the creamery 

 built and equipped. 



At the first regular stockholders' meeting articles of incorporation and 

 by-laws should be drawn and adopted. The dairy department of the Iowa 

 Agricultural College always stands ready to assist in organizing such 

 associations and can furnish articles of incorporation and by-laws and 

 also assist in preparing plans and specifications for the building. 



. It is a pleasure to note that the creameries erected during recent years 

 are far superior to the creameries built a few years ago. The frame build- 

 ing is now practically being discarded for creamery purposes and it is 

 proper that it should be for it is less sanitary, more expensive to retain 

 and affords no protection against fire. It is therefore not without good 

 reason that during the past two years several frame structures have been 

 abandoned and up-to-date, practically fire proof structures erected in 

 place thereof. It is true that a practically fire proof structure will cost 

 more than a frame building, but the difference between the two, consider- 

 ing a building 30 by 60 feet, should not exceed $1,000 and the difference 

 in insurance between the two buildings, not considering the difference 

 in durability of the two, will more than offset the extra cost. 



The cost of the building is governed by the amount of building material 

 used and kind of building material. The amount of building material is 

 governed by the size of the building, the strength of the building and 

 the amount of inside partition required. 



Specifications should be clear on all points so that they cannot in any 

 way be misinterpreted. The following may serve as a general form of 

 specification : 



