240 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



together to an advantage, greater numbers can secure greater 

 advantages. Carry your thoughts back to your own neigh- 

 borhoods. IIow many churns have dashed the cream to-day ? 

 How many children have been kept at home from school to 

 supply the motive power for them, learning to hate the farm, 

 and at the same time are losing their education? How 

 much of that butter made is a first-class article? The milk 

 set at all temperatures and by many methods, creamed at 

 all lengths of time, salted and finally marketed in all manner 

 of ways, — the latter operation requiring many hours' time of 

 fifty men and as many horses That butter has been pro- 

 duced at a great cost to each individual, and is, perhaps, 

 worth, on an average, twenty-five cents a pound, store pay. 

 (Oh, how it makes the boys and girls love the farm when 

 they make a requisition on the paternal pocket-book and find 

 only store pay !) Glance at the co-operative system. A 

 regular method of proceeding is carried out by all in the 

 feeding of the cows, setting the milk and creaming it. It 

 only requires the labor of three men and a pair of horses to 

 collect the cream, make the butter, salt, work and market it, 

 and cleanse the utensils, — great!}'" lessening the cost, with a 

 far better result in the butter yield, giving a uniform quality, 

 that brings from three to five cents per pound more than 

 dairy butter, which, although a strong point, is backed up 

 by a stronger one yet, in the fact that it brings cash, a 

 medium that we are each year forced to use more and more 

 of. It does not require the aid of figures to prove the 

 advantage of organization here. Then why have we not a 

 creamery organization in every town in New England? 

 Many of them have endeavored to establish them, but failed 

 simply for lack of confidence ; mistrust and suspicion of 

 neighbors have been allowed to keep dollars out of the 

 pocket. The sweet hill pastures and pure streams of New 

 England should place her at the head of the dairy interests 

 of the world. She will take that position yet, but not till 

 her farmers have christianized their moral natures, as well as 

 reformed their business habits. Iler ministers can aid them 

 more in the former by preaching good-will, fellowship and 

 toleration while in the life, rather than Andover's scare-crow 

 of no probation after death. 



