The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-07-31
CREAMERIES IN BUCKS COUNTY

Bucks county has now ten creameries
in operation and ten or twelve more in
course of construction. Creamcries are
simply factories for the making of butter
and cheese. A correspondent of the
Philadelphia Press gives an account of
how the business is managed, from which
we make few extracts:
The men who have charge of the
creameries are mostly New Workers, who
have had long experience in the business,
for New York State has had creameries
for many years. These men work every
thing on scientific basis. Most of
them can tell the quality of milk the
moment they see it. When they doubt
it's purity they subject it to the test of
the lactometer and in very few minutes
they will tell you how much water it
contains OF upon what injurious food the
cows have been fed. Punctuality marks
every movement, and thorough system
every success. Old butter makers should
not be 10th to acknowledge the benefits
of this institution, for it is only the
march of science and of the trained spe-
cialist over the old time and laborious
methods still in use on the farm.
The milk is brought to the creamery
between six and eight o'clock in the
morning, from all parts of the neighbor-
hood, and after being weighed is run
into the creamer, a large tin-lined tank
with capacity Of holding about 2,5OC
pounds of milk. Into this vat are then
lowered large tin tubes, through which
ice water is pumped i'll a constant circu-
lating stream. This cools the milk
thoroughly and quickly, causing the
cream to rise in from two to three hours.
When this process is complete, the milk
is drawn off into the cheese vat and the
cream into its vat, previous to being
placed in the churn. Rennet and color
ing matter are now put into the milk i'll
the cheese vat and stirred up, and i'll
stead of cooling pipes steam pipe
warns the milk. AS soon as coagula-
ton is complete, the steam pipe is given
an oscillating motion, stirring up the
contents of the vat and gradually sepa-
rating the curd from the whey. When
this operation has reached the desired
point the whey is run off and the curd
drained, sailed and finally pressed into
bandages ready for market by the use of
the improved cheese hoops and gang
press. From the press the cheese is
taken up to the storing and curing room.
where it is stcnciled with the date of its
manufacture, bantagel more securely
and creased. 1t should be allowed to
dry or season thirty days, being turn
ed every twenty-four hours. In most of
the ereameries the Blanchard churn and
most improved butter workers are in use.
The Blooming Glen and New Britain
creameries are three story buildings. the
first story built of stone and the upper
two of brick. The former has the
largest capacity Of any iii the county,
and both are in a very tlourishing condi-
ton The Ncwtown creamery is i'll an
old and unnecessarily large frame build
ing, has u more powerful engine than
any of it's rivals. is heated by steam. and
its patronage is next to the largest
~ l. Al. Il Ia,
said to be the parent institution and the
model of all the other creameries of the
county. for as each creamery is contem-
plated the projectors send off 4 commit
tee to examine the one at Quakertown,
or some place nearer home, where the
same general process can be seen.
Most of the creamcries are managed
and run by cooperative associations.
each share of stock representa-. 4 COW
and each member holding as many shares
as he has cows. BY this arrangement all
the profit goes to the farmer. Every
thing is worked to his advantage. Early
in each month the directors and officers
meet to settle up the accounts for the
month previous. Their books show the
net profits on the gross amount of milk
received during that month. 1t is then
easily determined what the milk has re-
allied per quart, and at this rate the
stockholding farmer is paid for all the
milk he has delivered during the month.
These prices have been ranging from
to a cents per quart, all clear of eN-
penses Some of the creamcries are OPP
Grated on what is called the stock plan.
The difference is that the shares of stock
do not represent cows, and are not nee
essarily owned by the farmers. The
stock companies simply offer price for
the milk and those farmers who find it
to their advantage to patronize the
creamery do so. In both organizations
the profits 90 to the Stockholders
Creamery butter is i'll fair demand, and
brings prices about on n par with that
known in the wholesale market as penn
sylvania first" In Doylestown it retails
at 81 cents per pound. and those who
have tried it say that it is trmer and
nicer than the average market butter.