IX 5 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



came from Elgin — that is, they tell me they came from Elgin, but I sup- 

 pose that means the Elgin district. I do not just exactly know what 

 territory composes the Elgin district, but I should judge that it extended 

 away over into Iowa, as I often see Iowa butter branded "Elgin," but I 

 can state that this practice is being done away with to some extent, and 

 in time, possibly, we will not have to use your brand in order to sell our 

 goods. 



The State of Minnesota is talking of having their own Minnesota 

 brand. We have not quite got to that yet over in Iowa; there are many 

 improvements to be made in our buttermaking methods before we can 

 adopt an Iowa brand. We must get to a point where an Elgin butter- 

 maker can not come to our conventions and carry away the sweepstakes. 



The traveling man, who has had experience as a buttermaker, and 

 who is familiar with creamery machinery and all up-to-date methods, 

 has a good chance to observe and note right and wrong methods used 

 by the buttermakers with whom he comes in contact. One of the most 

 noticeable things which comes under his eye is the general appearance of 

 the interior of the creamery. Do you know if there is any place in the 

 wide world that should be free from reproach, it is the factory where the 

 butter is made. It is the most delicate and wholesome article of food on 

 the market, and no other article of food needs the constant care to keep it 

 up to its standard as does butter. 



I am not of the opinion that it takes as much skill to make a pound 

 of fl^ur as it does to make a pound of butter; neither do I know of any 

 other article of food that a little neglect in its manufacture would cause 

 it to deteriorate so fast. The interior of a flour mill if not perfectly clean 

 would not, perhaps, injure the quality of the flour; at any rate the con- 

 sumer would probably never know the difference, but with butter it is 

 different. The consumer is being educated to tell whether the milk and 

 cream was perfectly clean from which their butter was made, and when 

 any impurities get into "the milk, no known method will eliminate them, 

 they will remain until the butter is consumed. So for this reason it 



