288 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 
well as compelling the buyer to reject any milk or cream not conform- 
ing to a certain standard. 
We, as an organization here, might agree that we would leave this 
convention and commence next Monday morning to pay three cents 
less for poor cream than for good and we would conscientiously make 
this commencement, but it is the experience of creamery people that 
these agreements do not last. Someone violates the agreement and tjie 
creamery man who feels he has been wronged by the other creamery 
abandons the grading system and the thing is all off and more harm 
is done than good. 
I believe the grading system should not be left to the will or 
pleasure of operators or creamery companies, but that we should have 
some law which should be explicit and which should state plainly just- 
the sort of cream that would meet the requirements and then fine both 
buyer and seller if the conditions are not lived up to. Such a law will ap- 
ply to the small buyer as well as the big one. The one needs supervision as 
well as the other. There has been considerable discussion recently among 
creamery people as to what requirements would bring about the best re- 
sults. In Nebraska at one time a number of the creameries adopted the 
acid test and cream was graded according to the acid it contained. This 
plan was not practical as the class of buyers they were compelled to use 
were not intelligent enough and not versed enough in dairy matters to 
handle the test intelligently. However, this acid test plan would work 
out very nicely at our local creameries as the buttermakers in charge 
could handle the test correctly. Another plan which has been advised 
is on frequent delivery; namely, paying a price for cream delivered 
every two days and another price for cream four days old or older, while 
another plan is to grade on the temperature of cream when delivered 
to the buyer. All of these methods or every one of them would be prac- 
tical if the state were back of them and would see that they were en- 
forced. 
The plan which I believe would be the best is as follows: Have 
the legislature pass a law making it compulsory for the sellers of 
cream to deliver it not over a certain age and not above a certain tem- 
perature. Also making it compulsory on the part of the buyer not to 
accept cream over a certain age and above a certain temperature, and 
then let our dairy authorities see that this law is enforced. At the first 
glance this will appear as a difficult proposition to undertake on the 
part of the dairy inspectors, but it would not be so burdensome if the 
proper records were kept by the buyer. 
I do not advocate two or three prices for cream, according to its qual- 
ity. I believe in one price for cream and instead of paying three cents 
less cream not of good quality, to absolutely refuse it if not up to the 
requirements of the law. 
The main difficulty we find in the grading of cream is in the differ- 
ence of judgment of different people. I am certain that these buttermak- 
ers present (and there are none better, Minnesota not excepted) would not 
all agree on the quality of cream of doubtful character. For this reason 
I am of the opinion that the standard should be on frequency of delivery 
