BUYING Miut AND CRKAM 57 



gather with the uncertainty of securing this cream, caused by 

 the fact that the co-operative association may sell to one cream- 

 ery today and to another creamery tomorrow, tends to have a 

 demoralizing, rather than a stabilizing effect on the creameries 

 concerned. 



The Direct-Shipper System. In this system the patrons ship 

 to the creamery direct. Similar as in the case of the station 

 system the great advantage of the individual-shipper system 

 lies in its practically unlimited supply territory, enabling the 

 creamery to draw on a larger area for its raw material. 



This system has the further pronounced advantage of 

 eliminating the middleman and his commission and of doing 

 away with the possibility of discrepancies in pounds of butter- 

 fat between middleman and creamery. The cream reaches the 

 creamery direct from the farmer, where it is weighed, sampled 

 and tested under conditions that facilitate accuracy and minimize 

 errors. It also saves the creamery the expense of shipping cans 

 since the cream is shipped to the creamery in the farmer's own 

 cans and no transfer into creamery cans is required, as is the 

 case with the cream route and with the station systems. 



The individual-shipper system combines the simplicity and 

 economy of the direct delivery of the cream by the individual 

 patron at the creamery, with the advantages of securing volume, 

 of the cream-route and cream-station systems. 



Its disadvantages are few. In the routine of business per- 

 sonal contact with the farmer is difficult. Except for the hold- 

 ing of occasional dairymen's meetings in which the creamery 

 representative will meet the farmer, the patrons are reached 

 largely by mail only. With a well organized correspondence 

 department, however, it has been found that this manner of 

 contact can be made exceedingly efficient and effective. 



Experience has amply demonstrated that the direct-shipper 

 system furnishes a better quality of cream than the usual cream 

 station or the average cream route. The cream is shipped on a*n 

 average as often as the station or route gets it so that there is 

 not much preference, if any, from the point of view of the age 

 of the cream. The cream coming to the creamery direct and 

 without being held up and transferred in the cream station, where 



