FIFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IV. 217 



We hope to make this as nearly educational as possible. We hope to 

 then get next to the people whose butter can be materially improved, and 

 assist him in improving it. The fellow that gets to the top is the fellow that 

 does not recognize the top when he gets there, and we know there are a lot 

 of buttermakers in the State who have very nearly or quite reached the top; 

 there are another lot that might easily do that. 



We believe that the decrease in the number of buttermakers and the 

 inevitable clearing out of the poorer class of buttermakers in the State ought 

 to raise the quality of the butter made in this State very materially. The 

 number of creameries in this State has decreased perhaps a couple of hun- 

 dred in the last three or four years, and at the same time the make of 

 creamery butter in the State has decreased but slightly. The number of 

 buttermakers has decreased considerably, but a curious feature is, that 

 there is as much demand for good buttermakers as ever. There is no 

 demand for poor buttermakers on the part of anyone. 



So we think the whole butter business will be better. Money spent in the 

 dairy commissioner's department will be spent in effort to increase milk pro- 

 duction in the State, and also to raise the quality of butter. So for that 

 reason we propose to do these things— to have those dairy meetings that 

 have been mentioned and the scoring contests. And we do not only want to 

 interest the buttermakers, but we want to interest the people who visit the 

 creameries. There are a lot of fellows who do not attend these meetings; 

 they are the fellows we want to get after. We do not want the biggest or 

 best buttermaker, but the fellow who can be made better. That is the 

 object of the work I have outlined. 



The President : I wish to appoint the resolution committee 

 at this time. All the other committees I will defer until later. 

 I will appoint on this committee, Hon. H. R. Wright, H. J. 

 Neitert, W. B. Johnson. 



We are going to read three or four of the highest scores 

 before adjournment. 



Everyone having railroad receipts will please hand them in 

 to the secretary this evening if possible. The joint agent will 

 be here in the morning to sign all we have, and we must have 

 one hundred to get the reduced rate, so everyone will hand in 

 his certificate. 



Another thing — this association is largely supported by its 

 membership. While it is hardly necessary for me to urge you 

 to take out memberships, still I wish to say it is the principal 

 source of our income, and I want to ask you not to leave the city 

 until you become a member of this association. 



Another thing, last year you will remember we read the 

 scores the same as tonight. This was the first time we had ever 

 done that, as we always considered that as soon as the butter- 

 makers received their scores they were liable to go home. We 



