ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 1 89 



directors, and a clerk, who are elected annually from the stock- 

 holders, and no person is allowed to hold stock who is not en- 

 gaged in agriculture. The average capital is from $2,000 to 

 $2,500, divided into 100 shares of $20 to $25 each, and this is 

 ample to meet all the requirement of a prosperous business. It 

 is not desirable that any one person should hold more than one 

 share of stock. The business is first chargable with interest at 

 six per cent, per annum on the capital stock before any dividends 

 are declared. You can form your own conclusions from the 

 following figures, which are taken from the books of a few of 

 the co-operative creameries in the east. They may be counted 

 as reliable, for they were the basis of the settlement made 

 between the co-operators and they have no object in concealing 

 them, and nothing to gain by publishing them. 



Amherst Co-operative Creamery, Amherst, Mass., 1886: 



PAYMENT TO 

 NO. LBS. PER LB. OF 



MONTH. BUTTER. BUTTER. 



December, 1885 16,153 26.05 



January, 1886 16,751 26.16 



February, " 14,712 26.60 



March, " 17,335 ■ • 2 5-3 6 



April, " 18,782 24.60 



May, " 23,260 18.69 



June, " 22,712.. 18.90 



July, " 20,603 20.00 



August, " 16,789 21.39 



September, " 14,609 23.74 



October, " ^9390 • • • t • 26.08 



November, " 16,692 26.37 



Total 215,788 Average 23.66 



The business for three years — pounds butter made: 

 1884. 1885. l886 - 



97^59 160,004 215,788 



This creamery started late in 1883. In 1886 it had one hun- 

 dred and fifty patrons ; the number has been largely increased 

 this year. 



