Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-08-27
The Cheese Question.

The New York Times discusses the cheese
question, and asks some questions which it
answers to its own satsfactio
To give every person of our population
ono ounce Of cheese per day would require
800 1000, 900 pounds yearly. Yet this small
allowance might well be doubled and not be
too abundant. When mingled with its due
proportion of cream it furnishes to the di-
gestive system every element needed to sus-
tain life, and is readily digestible, etc. Still
we do not eat it, and the reason why is very
interesting to dairymeu. Dairymen may
discover the reason in part By simply ask
ing themselves why they do not eat it them
selves, and why it does not form q por-
tion Of the daily furnishing OF their
own tables. The simple reason is, our
cheese is not Of sufficiently good quality to
create large and growing demand for it.
There is not sufficient variety either to meet
the demands of a cultivated and fastidious
taste. Those refuse to eat it who would
purchase it as a matter of economy,
for a pound Of cheese at 20 cents contains
twice the nutriment Of pound of beef
at same price. The wretchedly poor quail
ty of the lower grades of cheese which are
met with at the groceries where the poorer
classes are in the habit of obtaining their
supplies, is sufficient excuse for this neg
lect View this matter from the standpoint Of
the consumers, then one cannot be surprised
that cheese as an article of diet is not popular
and is not likely to be at present.
Taking view from the standpoint of the
dairymen, too, one cannot be surprised at
this. We have heard prominent dairyman,
whose speeches have been listened to by
hundreds Of dairymen with the greatest in-
terest and without question, remark that he
has witnessed extreme ithiness in the man
ner of milking cows on the part Of some of
those who furnish milk to the factories. Up
on one occasion he has stated that he re-
marked to a factoryman whose cheese he ex-
amined that there was too much filth in it to
make good cheese and not enough to make
good manure, or something to that effect
The same speaker has stated at dairymen's
iactoryman because the space underneath
the floor Of his factory was so full Of filth
that the maggots oozsd up between the cracks
as he walked over it. Hundreds of dairy
men heard these statements made without
remark. If these things are only of common
occurrence there can be but little wonder
that cheese sells slowly or enters into con
sumption sparingly.
After reasoning substantially as above
: we have not copied in fall-the Times pro
0 ceeds to consider the oleomarRarne question
| and discusses it from the same standpoint
: but not with the same apparent spirit, a
. that taken by the American Grocer, an
: continues thus
|, 1t can hardly be expected that the dair
= business can stand on the basis that it ough
TO do under these circumstances, or tha
: dairy products (for butter is also subject I
h the same processes Of adulteration) can be
o come as popular as they might do. Th
q business has doubtless already received
A serious blow, from which it can only recovc
in time. Confidence cannot fail TO have d,
D. parted from the consumers Of dairy product
o and this once lost is hardly regained. II
> market price Of cheese is rapidly declining