Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-08-27
A Suggestive Letter to Cheese. Makers.

Il suggestive Letter TO cheese Makers.
AN old cheese shipper, writing from
London to the Utica IN. ~ Herald,
says:
There are plenty of persons in the
| cheese trade, as elsewhere, who think
that because an article is very low in
price that is a reason for its going still
lower; but as soon as the lowest point
has been touched and reaction has set
in, there is rush all round to secure a
little stock. Freer buying results, and
the market is carried rapidly up, some
times beyond all reason. This impetus
almost invariably comes from your side.
The price generally has to be steadied
in New York before it can be steadied
| here-now the NeH York receivers can
not help themselves any more than the
English importers they cannot dwell
on a quickly-perishable article, but are
bound to sell their receipts of slackly-
made cheese from week to week. 1t is
at the factory that change may be in
augurated. 1t is by the tdrmerS that
stand may be made. In the full flush
of the flow of milk q portion, at any
rate, of the cheese should be made to
keep, and dairymen must have the
courage to hold it when it is necessary
to steady the market. If properly
made and properly looked after, in
suitable storehouse, the cheese should
keep better on the farmers shelves
than anywhere else.
do not share the apprehensions of
those who raise the cry of over-produc-
ton. / believe Great Britain can take
and consume, at fair price, all the
good cheese you are likely to send her.
But the supply must be more equally
spread over the whole year-you must
give us tWetUe months in which to con-
sumo the cheese you make in the six or
seven months from April to October.
What this country can not do is to con-
sumo in July and August the full guam
tity of cheese you produce in June and
July. There will always be, in those
months, a surplus beyond John Bulls
largest digestive power. This surplus
must be held somewhere. If forced
upon this market it can only be sold at
price low enough to insure the buyer
against risks of markets, and above all
against the loss attendant on holding
an article that rapidly deteriorates in
quality. Moreover, this surplus neces-
June and July make to its own level of
value. The present system of smother
ing this market with cheese, that will
not keep, made in June, July and early
August, also works evils in another way.
The public" gets so tired of eating
strong, ill-flavored cheese and the
"trader" gets so disgusted with the
risk and worry of handling it, that
there is general outcry for something
clear and keepable, and so rush is
made for September make. This as a
consequence is forced up to so extreme
price that the trade is checked and an
opportunity afforded to the English
dairymen of unloading their summer
make at comparatively good prices.
do not think that the general run of
the quality of American cheese is so
good as it might, and therefore as it
ought, to be. The chief ambition of too
many factory men appears to be to get
a shade higher price for their cheese
than is realized by their neighbors. No
doubt it is matter of just pride to a
| good maker when his care and pains
taking meet their due recognition in the
satisfactory form of enhanced prices.
1t is a very legitimate triumph when
such maker can realize for his patrons
one eighth cent or one-fourth cent or
perhaps even more per pound, over the
current figures for fairest factories.
But | fear this very often leads to mere
trading on an old reputation and a
slackening of efforts for continued inn
provement. l am not sure but that it
would even pay better in the long run
were your best factories to help their
less successful neighbors to make finer
cheese. The higher your aUerdge stand
ard of quality the surer will be your
hold on British markets, and you will
even get more than proportionately
better price, for if considerable part
of your make is poor it cannot fail to
drag down the value of the balance.
write in the interest of no special de-
partment of the trade. | have no prI-
vate AK to grind l don't believe in
rigging or in cornering the market,
but do believe that dairymen may do
much towards regulating it. 1t cannot
benefit either the producer or the
dealer or the consumer that a large
amount of valuable property should
thus be annually sacrificed and n large
quantity of desirable food spoiled or
greatly deteriorated. Surely it is not
beyond the capacity of those whose
energy and intelligence have in so
short a time built up your colossal
cheese interest to find remedy for that
untoward state of the trade which i
have endeavored to point out.