EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK-PART VII. 321 



culture. Secretary Wilson deserves the thanks of all the dairymen of 

 this country for the stand he took in their behalf. 



The Creamery Journal and New York Produce Review also deserve 

 the thanks of the dairymen for the stand they took in regard to the butter 

 standards. While government aid is beneficial, we must not look en- 

 tirely to it for support. You have all heard the story of the farmer and 

 the lark. How a mother lark hovering over her little ones whose nest 

 was in a field of grain heard the farmer say to his son, "We must get 

 Mr. to cut this field of grain." The lark heard, but paid no at- 

 tention, but some days after this she heard the farmer say to his son, 

 "We must cut this grain," then she proceeded to remove her brood to new 

 quarters at once. So whenever we want to make a success in any line 

 of business we must apply individuality and create enthusiasm and the 

 business will succeed then, and not until then. Too many of our cream- 

 eries lack individuality oj- are run on the Rip Van Winkle plan. The 

 buildings are dilapidated and the buttermaker twenty years behind the 

 times, or in other words they are dead and are just waiting for the 

 bug-a-boo man, the central plant man, to come and perform the last 

 funeral rites. This reminds one of a little incident that occurred in one 

 of the western towns. The people had worked up quite a lot of enthusi- 

 asm about building a fence around their cemetery. The mayor of the 

 town called a meeting of the citizens in regard to the matter of funds 

 and some discussion arose as to the amount necessary. A little Irishman 

 got up and said, "Does yer honor know of anyone in this cemetery that 

 wants to get out?" and the mayor answered "No." Then he said, "Does 

 you know of anyone out that wants to get in — if not, then what is the 

 need of a fence" When a creamery is run down and all life seems gone 

 it is dead to the public and there is certainly no need of a fence to keep 

 the public out. A mistake that many of our co-operative and individual 

 plants make is in not painting the buildings and keeping things up-to-date 

 and letting the public know that they are alive. In appointing directors 

 it is well to select men who have made their own business a success. 

 Another important point is that the secretary should insist on having a 

 weekly report from the buttermaker, showing the amount of butter fat 

 received and the amount of finished butter made, thus keeping tab on the 

 business continually. I have a letter in my pocket at the present time 

 from a maker asking me to explain why their creamery did not get any 

 overrun during the month of August. The only information the writer 

 gave me was that they were using a Disbrow churn. Now how could 

 such a creamery compete with one that was getting 18 or 20 per cent over- 

 run and some a little more? Now, this is the kind of business that is 

 forcing some of our co-operative creameries to the wall. It would be 

 utterly impossible for anyone to make butter and not have an overrun 

 if accurate work was done in testing and weighing, as the majority of 

 you know that the Babcock test merely gives the butter fat. In the fin- 

 ished butter we have from 10 to 16 per cent water and from 1 to 3 per 

 cent salt and from 1 to 2 per cent casein or curd, therefore we must 

 have an overrun. A good, well-regulated co-operative creamery that makes 

 from forty tubs per week and up can and should be able to pay more 

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