Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-01-31
Sound Milk at Cheese Factories.

Mr.. Willard seems at last TO be convinced
of the fact we have so often urged. that the
raising of the quality of American cheese to
the high or fancy" standard required to
bring it to an equality with the best cheese
in the English market, is not possible under
our present cheese factory system. The
cheese factories have done a great work in
raising the acreage quality of our cheese, but
they have done it at the sacrifice of the
highest quality They take the dirty milk of
the scrub farmer and make better cheese of
it than he would ever make. But they pour
this poor foul milk together in the same vat
with the rich sweet milk of the careful
dairyman, and an angel from heaven could
never make first-class cheese from that
mixture.
We are not unmindful of the various adj
vantages of cooperative dairying, but unless
cooperative dairying can be relieved from
the drawback of promiscuous milk, Ameri-
can factory cheese must ever be quoted
many shillings lower, per hundred weight, in
foreign markets than the best farm dairy
product
In short, the only way to make giltedged
cheese in factories, is to limit the co-opera-
ton to choice and select circle of dairy
farms. This will necessitate smaller fac
tories with a less average product, and con-
sequently a higher percentage for manu-
facture, which will undoubtedly be more
than met by the Increased selling price of
the cheese.
Mr. Willard has strongly urged the great
Importance of proper curingrooms, in which
the cheese of a factory can be stored and
brought to maturity, before being put upon
the market The great obstacle to this is
the native unsoundness of most of the fac
tory-made cheese, which will rot before it
will cure, even in the best-constructed and
most carefully regulated curing cellars.
Only first class cheese is capable of being
cured so as to develop that rich, smooth,
tine-flavored quality characteristic of fancy
article in its stage of highest perfection. All
cheese containing the curd of unsound milk,
whether resulting from dirty cans, careless
milking unhealthy water, rank or otherwise
imperfect pasturage or what not, contains
germs of premature decay and foul favors,
and no care in curing will prevent their de-
velopment. Consequently to attempt to cure
our average factory make of cheese is sure
to result in losses that will prove disastrous
That cheese alone Which is made from sound
milk can be cured.
Only one who has eaten aud is familiar
with sound and properly cured cheese has
any idea of the exquisite quality and emf
nent STABILITY, among those who are choice
in their diet of such an article. 1t will al
ways command a price from fifty to one
hundred per cent. over an ordinary product
That such cheese can be made under the
factory system, properly guarded, is demon
strated by the success of men like the Presi
dent of our Vermont Dairymen's Associa
ton. The perfection to which he ha.
brought his manufacture has long taken i
out of the general market There is NJ
reason why others cannot emulate and equa
Mr.. Masons success, for though am heredit
AIRY CHethe maker Oh lHfee or TOUR genera
tons, we presume he lays claim to no fam
lily secrets in the manufacture, or has an,
process which he is unwilling to make pub
lie, lie simply won't admit any scrul
dairy's milk to his factory, and has thu
solved the problem to which Mr.. Willard ad
verts in the following extract from recen
article in the Rural New Yorker. "'Hoy
best to secure the delivery of good milk a
factories?' is a question which has lon
been before the dairy public, and there ar
great many manufacturers in New Yorh
as well as in other states, who would be gla
to obtain rule that would prove effectu,
and could be carried out in their various |,
calities. The whole gist of this matter
that patrons must be educated up to the r,
quired standard, and so line upon line an
precept upon precept must be presented
them until the work is accomplished"