200 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



is almost none at all sold in Iowa), but these are some of the ups and 

 downs of dairying in the past. 



Let me name two incidents which go to show that dairying is im- 

 proving. In 1885 I represented Iowa, along with C. A. Houston of Linn 

 county (the state forgot to pay us for that service, though fully author- 

 ized and appointed by die governor), at the world's fair at New Orleans, 

 and when the dairy butter was examined (258 packages, that required 

 two and one-half days' work), I assisted the committee and kept close 

 watch of their work. There were not twenty-five packages in the entire 

 lot that could be called fine, and not seventy-five that ever had been, 

 though the age of the goods was somewhat against the quality of the 

 product. 



Last week I assisted in judging thirty-eight exhibits of butter at the 

 Mahaska County Farmers' Institute and 75 per cent was fine and 90 per 

 cent was as good as the best at New Orleans. From these facts, and 

 they are the facts, the art of butter making is surely improving. 



A strenuous effort should be made at all these meetings to educate 

 the people in these matters. There is untold loss in Iowa because of 

 mismanagement in dairying. De do not complain of Iowa, for she leads 

 all others as a dairy state. In 1902 Iowa produced 80,000,000 pounds of 

 creamery butter, and 60,000,000 pounds more on the farms and in private 

 dairies. Of this about two-thirds was shipped out of the state, making a 

 return of nearly $20,000,000. Nothing was taken from the soil. Millions 

 of dollars worth of milk and cream were consumed at home. The total 

 milk, cheese and butter product of the state for 1902 will reach above 

 $40,000,000. Can it be thought that this is not important? 



There are many things that can be done to improve the business. Do 

 not increase the number of poor cows, but breed and select and train 

 until- we have tetter cows. Instead of 135 pounds of butter per cow it 

 should be 250 to 300 pounds. There are and always have been too many 

 creameries. Every factory that makes money must make a large amount 

 of butter. If farmers will keep hand separators and take the cream from 

 the milk and large quantities of water and make the business easy. Then 

 the milk and large quantities of water and make the business easy. Then 

 sell the cream to the creamery or the ice cream man in the city or make 

 butter for the city market as the circumstances seem to warrant. This 

 will improve the quality of the product, for the separator takes out im- 

 purities that nothing else will, the cream can be better shielded from 

 bad company (onions, potatoes, the pups, boots and old clothes in the 

 milk room and a hundred things that rob butter and cream of its fine 

 flavor.) We do not advocate any special cow except a good dairy cow. 

 If she be a good beef animal all the better. The farmer needs both. The 

 question of profit in the dairy will be settled if the double purpose cow 

 is well handled — feed, shelter, cleanliness, separator, in fact, utilizing 

 all the product. Thus done, dairying is the one essential. 



