Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-05-11
A Model Dairy.

A Model Dairy.
Probably the most rlgidly manag.
ed dairy in the United States is the
Echo Dairy, near Litchfield, Connec.
ticutt, and which is owned by Mr.. F.
r. Starr. Mr.. Starr is retired mer.
chant, whose health was impaired by
close attention to business, and who
bought a small piece Of land, con.
tanning 60 acres, principally with a
view to make quiet home, but who
becoming infatuated with a genteel
country life. has continued to add to
his original purchase till his present
farm contains about 400 acres. The
whole farm Is now managed for the
support and maintenance of dairy
consisting Of about SO head Of pure
Jersey COWS and their increase. 1t
will be remembered that the exhibi.
ton of Jersey stock from this farm
attracted great attention and interest
at the Centennial. The bull, Glitch
field" won the first prize at the Cen
tennial as Jersey bull, and also the
prize of $3.50 offered by the Ameri.
can Jersey Club. From this dairy
there was also exhibited at the Cen
tennlal four COWS, four bull calves
and four heifer calves, all of which
received marked attention at the ex-
hibition, and many of them awards.
The dairy is managed on the princl-
pie that whatever is worth doing at
all is worth doing well, and absolute
exemption from everything that can
faint the butter made, either in smell
or taste, from the food of the COW
till it is made into rolls and deliver
ed to the purchaser, Is scrupulously
avoided. The COWS are stabbed sum.
mer and winter, day and night.
Their feed is selected and prepared
with the utmost care, and given at
stated times, and in stated quantities.
They have exercise in the open air
daily, and stand in stalls that secure
to each COW not less than 900 cubic
feet of air space. The stalls are not
only kept clean of manure and other
filth but are swept and sanded daily,
and the COWS curried and brushed
with as much care as is generally be-
slowed upon the best cared for race
horses. They are fed regularly dur
ing each day with different varieties
OF food, and every night a lunch Of
roots is served out to them by a
night Waterman, who is never allow
ed to leave his post any more than is
a night Waterman to our large banks.
The milking is done by men who are
required to keep themselves scrupu-
lousy clean, and as an extra precau-
ton in this particular, there is a
wash-room near the stalls, where ev-
cry man, before milking, is required
to repair and wash face and hands
and change his clothes.
Along the stalls at convenient
places are hung spring scales, upon
which the weight of each cows milk
at every milking must be ascertained,
and this weight is set down upon a
slate at the time and then reported
in writing to the person who has
charge Of the milk-room, and each
day report is filed away stating
the exact amount of milk given by
each and all the COWS in the dairy.
The milk pals are made in such a
way as to secure three strainings OF
all the milk as 1t is poured from them
into the pans or cans for the cream
to rise. The milk-room is kept at
the same temperature night and day,
winter and summer, and all the milk
is skinned when it has been setting
Just thirty-six hours. The cream be.
fore it Is churned Is all filtered or
strained so as to secure perfect
sameness or homogeneousness, thus
making the butter to come with per.
feet evenness and at the same time.
The cream when put into the churn
must have a temperature of so de.
grees, and comes regularly in sum.
mer and winter, or in all kinds of
weather, in 40 minutes. The churn
is worked by horsepower at GER
tain regulated speed. When the
butter is taken from the churn it
goes into butter worker,
and while being worked little
to get the first run of buttermilk
out the salt is worked in. 1t then
stands in the salt two hours,
and is again worked under the super
vision OF an experienced butter-maker,
who takes extra care to see that it is
worked just enough and not too much.
1t is then put up into halfpound
prints or rolls, and stamped with the
monogram (Echo) the stamp or trade
mark of the firm. 1t is shipped to
special agents in New York, Boston
and Brooklyn, and to fill few reg
ular orders of private families. The
product of the dairy is uniform IN
quantity and quality the year round,
and each agent takes the same am
cunt each week, at a given price for
the entire year. This is a higher
price tn an is paid for any other but
ter made in the United States. Each
halfpound print is, to prepare it for
shipment, wrapped in a separate nap
kin, and placed IN a separate paper
box made in form and size to hold it.
These are then put into wooden box
es, and in no case is the butter taken
out or handled until it is delivered to
the consumer. By this system ofcon
Quoting a dairy, the proprietor secures
an exact account Of expenses and re-
ceipts, and correct comparison OF
the produce of each cow in the dairy
He also secures an article of the
very best quality, and gets for 1T the
best prices, and is thus enabled to
make his dairy pay.
Every dairyman cannot manage
every department of his daisy with
the same precision and regularity,
but all can improve. more or less,
and it should be their aim so to do,
and thus improve the quality of their
butter. We have been particular in
describing the management of the
above dairy, so that each one of our
dairy readers might, as they will,
doubtless, see something worthy of
imitation; some hint that will lean to
imnrOvement in his own MANAGE