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A Statistical Study of Creamery Operation

E. S. Guthrie

Department of Dairy Industry, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

ABSTRACT

Conclusions drawn from general observations by the persons engaged in an industry are not always true. Fortunately, the statisticians have developed methods of analyzing large numbers of figures so that it is possible to weigh fairly accurately the facts that a certain set of data contains.

The data on which this article is based were obtained by survey¹ from 78 creameries in Minnesota for the year 1919. All of these creameries were of the farmer type, such as is found in villages and in the smaller cities. None were centralizers. There were 71 farmers' cooperative plants, and 7 independent or proprietary plants.

There was a wide variation among these 78 creameries. Some were small and a few were large. Some were housed in old, worn-out frame buildings, but the majority were operating in new homes, most of which were constructed of brick. Some of the creameries were conveniently arranged, and a few were very inconvenient.

The author wishes to acknowledge the suggestions of Dr. F. A. Pearson, of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at Cornell University, in assembling the data.

¹ The survey was made by the writer, who represented the Federal Bureau of Markets and who collaborated with Dr. John D. Black, Chief of the Division of Agricultural Economics of the University of Minnesota. In all, 102 creameries in 42 counties were visited. Some of the reports were not sufficiently complete to be used, and so only 88 creameries were included in the final analysis. The summary of that study was published in Technical Bulletin 26 of the University of Minnesota, 1924, entitled "Economic Aspects of Creamery Organization." The supply of that bulletin is now practically exhausted. The present article is a second study of some of the same data, but from a different angle. Certain data are missing in a few of the reports of the 88 creameries considered in the first study, and hence only 78 plants are included in the present analysis.