404 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



are three condensed milk factories and forty-three cheese factories. 102,- 

 000,000 pounds of butter was made in the state during the year; 1,586,000 

 cows were milked and 800,000 cows furnished milk exclusively for cream- 

 eries. The total value of our dairy products in Iowa for this year is 

 estimated to be $50,000,000. Such a vast sum is hard to conceive but 

 when it is compared with our other resources, some idea of what is means 

 may be obtained. 



For instance, it is more than 70 per cent of the total production of gold 

 in the United States for the same period, nearly three times the amount of 

 gold mined in California, the leading gold producing state in the Union. 

 The amount is enough to completely equip four first class battle ships for 

 the United States navy, and then have a million dollars left for spending 

 money. 



It is learned that Iowa produces more butter than any other equal 

 surface of the Globe except Denmark and Holland. 



In addition to the 562 creameries, three cheese factories and three con- 

 densed milk factories, there are about 800 cream stations where cream is 

 bought and shipped to churning plants. In view of these facts just 

 mentioned, I think you will agree with me when I say that with only 

 two creamery inspectors in the state the work keeps us some busy. And 

 will add that in case there are some who think that they are being neg- 

 lected or are not receiving as much help from the department as they 

 should, these facts will readily show the reason. When the dairy commis- 

 sion of this state was originated, it w r as for the purpose of enforcement of 

 the dairy laws on the statute books at that time and inspection and in- 

 struction of all creameries, cheese factories, milk depots, cream stations, 

 and all other places where any article of dairy products were kept, stored, 

 manufactured or sold. The dairy laws were enacted for the purpose of 

 suppressing fraud and to protect all parties who were engaged in the 

 handling or otherwise of any dairy product in the state of Iowa. The 

 commissioner was empowered to appoint one assistant commissioner to 

 assist him in his duties and a few years later he was given the second 

 assistant. 



Since this work was first taken up in the state there have been a great 

 many changes in the creamery business, and we find the work expected of 

 the inspectors today ,to be of a different character than what it was a de- 

 cade ago. For instance, we find ten years ago there were 994 creameries 

 nearly all of which were co-operative or independent. At that time 90 

 per cent of the creamery butter in the state was made from whole milk. 

 At the present time we have only 562 creameries of which only 51 or about 

 10 per cent of them are whole milk. We also find that at the present 

 time there are two distinct creamery systems in the state. I refer to the 

 local creameries such as the independent and co-operative and the central- 

 izing creameries. 



There are at present 524 local creameries and 38 centralizing creameries 

 in Iowa. About one-third of the butter made in the state is the output of 

 these 38 creameries, and all but about 10 per cent of the entire make of 

 butter is what is termed gathered cream or hand separator goods. Dur- 



