Page View
Wisconsin Dairymen's Association / Tenth annual report of the Wisconsin Dairymen's Association : held at Sheboygan, Wis., January 11-13, 1882. Report of the proceedings, annual address of the president, and interesting essays relating to the dairy interests
(1882)
Sherman, H. D.
The progress and reputation of western butter, pp. 34-38
PDF (1.0 MB)
Page 34
WISCONSIN DAI=Yxm's AssCAnIoN. THE PROGRESS AND REPUTATION OF WESTERN BUTTER. By How. H. D. SnzRMaN, Monticello, Iowa. Members of tAe Wiconsin Dairymen's Association, Ladies and Gentlemen.- I have no paper to present to you to-day; in fact I did not expect to be here one half hour before I took the cars to join this meeting. I did not think I could leave, and I must leave town here by the first train that leaves this afternoon. I will occupy your attention but a short time in reviewing, as I have followed to some extent, the history of dairying in the west. Not here, for I cannot speak of your dairying, but in Iowa. I can remember, when only sixty-five miles from New York, when our only way to get there was by stage. I can remember when in Iowa the only butter that we gathered there was from individual dairies, not having the con- ditions in Iowa for successful dairying; in the earlier stages we gathered our butter from farmers, and selected and graded it as best we could. It was all kinds, as yon might say, excepting the very best; of course we did not expect to have that then, but there were different qualities and different methods of handling. The time came in some six or eight years, when some of our eastern people were making very good butter, the best of the butter selected in the months of May and June; we would send it to New York, and although we had some very good butter, butter that compared at that season of the year favor- ably with the butter made at the east; yet you know, gentle- men and ladies, that we were not able to sell that butter in New York or Philadelphia as western butter and have it bring its rela- tive value. There was existing in the minds of all eastern people a prejudice against western butter. In fact it was known in all of our eastern markets as " western grease," and very much of it was but little better than grease. It has taken a great deal of labor and perseverance on the part of some to break down that feeling in our eastern markets relative to our western butter. The first great step in that direction was in 1876, when by comparing our butter with that at the east, we all know the result was favorable. The medal conferred by the National Association at Philadelphia at one of the exhibitions in June; you all know the medal went to Iowa, 34
Based on date of publication, this material is presumed to be in the public domain.| For information on re-use, see http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/Copyright