106 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



shipped to the central churning station. It may be that 

 your method is the best, but it does not appear clear to me 

 yet that it is the most profitable or economical. 



Mr. Pratt (of North Middleborough) . Will the gov- 

 ernor explain Western methods ? 



Ex-Governor Hoard. There are two methods of con- 

 ducting creameries in the West, — by gathering cream and 

 gathering milk. In Dakota the creameries nearly all gather 

 the cream. The farmer separates it by cold setting or any 

 method he wishes, and it is credited to him as to its butter- 

 fat value by the Babcock test. Then he is given credit for 

 whatever fat he contributes. 



In my section in Wisconsin, where we have a very dense 

 cow population, where we have in our county seventy-nine 

 creameries and four cheese factories, the milk is taken to 

 the factory by the farmer in the morning, which includes 

 the milk of the evening before and morning milk, each of 

 which is kept separate. The farmer takes the amount of 

 skim-milk due him back to his home, and goes on with his 

 work. This is done every morning. Sometimes the 

 farmers on a given route unite, and the one living the long- 

 est distance away takes a contract from each farmer between 

 him and the creamery to haul the milk at so much per cow 

 for the season. He starts in the morning and puts his own 

 milk into the wagon and goes to his next neighbor, who 

 has his milk ready on the platform, and the next neighbor, 

 and so on. Each man's cans are marked, and when he 

 arrives at the creamery he has the milk of ten or twelve 

 farmers on his wagon. Samples are taken and tested, and 

 the tests will be declared the next morning. It is not 

 usually economical to carry milk more than three or four 

 miles. If it is necessary to go farther, other creameries are 

 established. To-day the sample is taken, to-morrow the 

 test is declared. Each man's milk is not tested every day. 

 Samples are taken every day, and may be tested once in 

 three days or a week. The man who brings the milk takes 

 the skim-milk back to each man in his respective cans, and 

 puts the cans back on the stand he took them from in the 

 mornino;, and rounds up at his own home, usually about 



