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one pound of butter for an inch and a half of cream on a nine 

 inch can, or 95.4 cubic inches to the pound. 95.4 cubic inches 

 of cream raised at a proper temperature and measured at a 

 certain age will make a pound of butter, but at a low tempera- 

 ture will not. This discorvery was made by our patrons, who 

 began investing money in ice houses indirectly at our expense 

 The consequence was that we were forced by a continually in- 

 creasing shortage, to abandon this plan and adopt the Andrews 

 & Burnap's test system. We now buy cream under this test 

 and pay for actual yield. Under this system we gather twice a 

 week during winter, and three times a week during the summer, 



A careful operation of this test will render to each patron 

 his just dues; and I deem it proper to state that all gathered 

 cream should be bought subject to a test, as to yield, to protect 

 the patron, as well as the factory. And with a judicious system 

 of testing, a uniting of factories to refuse all poor cream and a 

 co-operation of the farmer to improve in quality as well as 

 quantity, there should be nothing in the way to operate 

 creameries under the system of "gathered cream" profitably 

 both to the factory and the patron. Such a state of facts is, 

 however, far from existing in Ogle county to-day. The oppo- 

 site seems to be the rule. The proprietors are largely at war 

 for territory and over price of cream. 



The price being the same for all cream, the patron is left 

 without any incentive to improve the quality of his product. 



The outcome of this is an independent indifference in the 

 direction of improvement on the part of the patron and even a 

 suggestion from the factory is frequently insolently met with the 

 reply : " You take my cream as it is or leave it ; my cream does 

 not go begging for a market." 



Another annoyance is the fact that creameries are beginning 

 to be too numerous and the territory and patronage too small 

 to profitably support all. A certain amount of expense is 

 necessary in the operating of a factory, and the larger the 

 patronage the smaller the per cent, of the expense ; and the over 



