The Cream Check That Didn't Add Up

I talked with a well-known dairyman in the Nooksack valley. "I consider this an excellent dairy country," he said. "Dairying, in my opinion, is the great coming occupation of the ranchers of Whatcom county. We have tried fruit. It does not seem to do well. The seepage from the mountains seems to form an undercurrent under the soil of these valleys, which renders fruit undesirable. That is my experience. But in dairying we do well. So I say that the future of our county, agriculturally, is in dairying."

Continuing, he said: "Now, I'm not a 'kicker,' but still I'd like to know. We send our cream to Seattle and they return us their statement. Here is one of mine, all names, of course, being omitted." The statement listed three shipments in February, with butter fat and butter calculated somewhat below the dairyman's own estimates and the price paid at 26 cents a pound.

"Now consider that statement, which is a fair one. The first shipment shows 22.91 pounds of butter fat, or say 23 pounds. Now a pound of butter fat yields one pound and three ounces of butter when we make it, or 29 pounds of butter to a 10-gallon can of cream. Here we have but 22.91 pounds of butter fat and 25.20 pounds of butter, which is a cut on both items, according to our estimates. The price paid is 26 cents, while the price of butter is 30 cents per pound in the local market. Then in the summer we get but 22 cents per pound, while the buyers cold storage the butter and sell most of it at winter prices, I understand. Of course, I want to be reasonable, but it seems to me sometimes the dairyman ought to be done better by. I'd like to hear from the other side and see how the buyers look at it anyway."

It appears to the writer that this dairyman's remarks are very pertinent. Seattle cream buyers should not fear being liberal. There is a great prospect looming ahead in this line of agriculture, and it will pay amply to accord the dairyman every reasonable encouragement.