1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 243 



to manipulate the real butter market in the way they have 

 been doing of late. It can result in nothing but injury 

 to the butter interest ultimately, and I am inclined to think 

 that before very long something of the kind may be attempted 

 in the Eastern States, — may very likely originate in New 

 York City, — and make it a very necessary matter for the 

 creameries in the Eastern States to adopt some form of co- 

 operation for the purpose of controlling the distribution of 

 their butter. It is not sufficient to sell butter on the open 

 market, and allow it to pass into the hands of the oleo-butter 

 manufacturers, or those interested in its sale, and leave them 

 to use their enormous influence in the manipulation of the 

 butter market. Sooner or later, I am inclined to think, the 

 creameries will have to control the distribution throughout 

 to the consumer. That is a very serious matter, and I com- 

 mend it to all interested in co-operative dairying, for delib- 

 eration. 



After what has been said by the writer of the paper, I 

 think we can entei-tain no doubt of the success of co-opera- 

 tive dairying. Wherever private dairying, so called, suc- 

 cessfully competes with co-operative dairying, it is only by 

 the adoption, to a greater or less extent, of the same 

 mechanical methods of butter-production, and the same 

 methods of business organization, as has been illustrated by 

 what our friend Mr. Bachelder told us All the makers of 

 fancy dairy butter, so called, are wealthy owners of cattle 

 kept for breeding purposes, and usually men owning very 

 large herds, able to keep well-qualified butter-makers, who 

 can produce the same quality, or very nearly the same 

 quality, the year through ; and so it commands those gilt- 

 edged prices which are so common with men who practice 

 private dairying of the higher class, so that practically there 

 is no essential difference between the successful private 

 dairyman and the co-operative dairyman. The question 

 which presents itself for our consideration is this : The aver- 

 age farmer is usually the owner of a small herd, and cannot 

 adopt the same methods throughout ; and, if he did, it would 

 render his butter-making unnecessarily expensive, as has 

 been illustrated to us by Mr. Bachelder. You may remem- 

 ber he quoted the case of one creamery in New Hampshire 



