210 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



the families that T supply with butter consume about 34 

 pounds of butter to each person per year. Taking this as the 

 average and valuing it at 18 cents per pound, we would have 

 fifteen million three hundred thousand dollars, as the annual 

 value of the dairy butter consumed outside of the large cities. 

 If we should figure this closely the above figures would be 

 nearly doubled, but the above is enough to show the import- 

 ance the butter-maker on the farm takes in supplying the 

 home demand. The private dairyman has a great deal to 

 contend with. He has opposition on all sides. He is consid- 

 ered a nuisance at the country store on account of the unre- 

 liability of his product. He is considered a nuisance by the 

 creamery men, a trial to the commission merchant and of very 

 little consequence to the supply dealer. There seems to be 

 a regular combination against him to freeze him out of exist- 

 ence. But he won't die as long as there are people depending 

 on him for their butter. 



Now my theory is to give the private butter-maker a fair 

 chance. When you get up a premium list, don't put his butter 

 under the head of dairy butter; that brands it as not being 

 equal with the best grades to start with. Offer your premiums 

 on butter and let every package of butter be shown on its 

 merits and score it all from the same standpoint. Then the 

 private butter-maker kno.ws where his butter stands. 



If the butter-maker on the farm cannot make as good 

 butter as the creamery the best thing he can do is to sell his 

 milk to the creamery. It is perfect folly for a man or woman 

 to make butter and sell it for less money than he would re- 

 ceive if he sent his milk to the factor3^ There is no more use 

 in trying to make butter without proper conveniences than 

 there is trying to cut a field of grain with an old-fashioned 

 cradle. Lack of convenience and skill will ruin any business 

 in time, but it will ruin the dairy business at once. I know 

 of no other business that requires so much careful attention, 

 so much punctuality, stick-to-itaveness and everlasting hard 

 work as farm* butter-making. When Adam left the Garden 

 of Eden and was obliged to earn his living by the sweat of his 

 brow, I think he must have been obliged to provide his 

 family with a gilt-edge article of butter, for in his climate it 



