THIRD ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART IX. 529 



and asked him about butter and he said it could be sold at some price, and 

 so I undertook to have the farmers make butter. We didn't have butter 

 tubs like we have now. We had to have firkins or kegs made. There was 

 no cooper in the county, so I sent some men to the timber to cut it, and 

 sent east for a cooper. Well the time came when the farmers commenced 

 to bring in their butter and I set up a row of those firkins opened and one 

 big barrel at the end. The butter began to come in. I didn't have the 

 tests then that you have now. We only had three tests. They were see- 

 ing, tasting and smelling. So when a woman came in with butter we used 

 the tests we had, and if the butter proved to be No. 1 it was put in the first 

 keg. The next lady might have good butter, but the color might not be 

 the same, and so it was put in the second keg, and the next lady might have 

 good butter, but still lighter, and that would go in the third keg, and the 

 next lady might have stronger butter and that would go in the fourth 

 keg. And once in a while some butter would come in that could hardly 

 be recognized as butter, and that would go into the big barrel. That was 

 the soap grease barrel. It was a new country and half the women didn't 

 even have cellars, let alone milk houses, and many of them were inex- 

 perienced too. It didn't, cost very much to go into the dairy business 

 then. I think the total amounted to about $2.50; it consisted of milk 

 crocks and a stone churn and a large wooden bowl and ladle, and the 

 store furnished these on credit and the butter was to be brought in to 

 pay for it. Pretty soon the butter business increased. I was going to 

 say also that sometimes the women got unpardonably provoked when 

 they came in and saw their butter go into the soap barrel and another 

 woman's go into the first keg. But this was the only place in the country 

 that would buy butter, so they couldn't go any place else. Sometimes 

 there would be a ton of butter come in in pails and batches. This butter 

 had to be hauled to Iowa City by wagon, 150 miles, and we had no con- 

 veniences of refrigeration. The commission merchants in Chicago had 

 only one additional test to those we made at home. They had a steel 

 rod made sharp at the ends so that it would act as an augur. They would 

 run it down to the bottom of the keg and cut out a sample, and then they 

 would smell it and if they could they would taste it. And after a while 

 the people improved in making butter and the demand increased. The 

 war came on and the army needed butter, and we helped to supply the 

 demand all we could. This is the way the dairy business commenced in 

 my county. And if you are making butter under the new processes you 

 needn't ask me any questions. 



Now I hope gentlemen you will remember that the Iowa commissioners 

 will aid you in any way they can when the time comes. I thank you for 

 your kind attention. 



President : The orchestra have kindly promised to stay with 

 us and give us one more selection if they can come on now, as they 

 have another engagement. 



