Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-12-22
DaiIp Kenneter JournaI.
The Winthrop Creamery.

Boardman, ESQ.,, who was present at the
opening, gives the following description
in his valuable paper, the Home Farm
''The creamery, or butter factory con-
nected with the works of the Winthrop
Dairying Association is one of the best
arranged and most perfect butter facto-
ries in New England. When it was de-
cided last summer, to put in apparatus
for making butter into the cheese factory
building, it was raised up some four
feet and a basement story, nine feet in
clear, put underneath. The main build
ing is thirty by sixty feet, but the base
ment is thirty by forty-eight feet. The
walls are brick, the floor is cemented,
and every part of the building is fitted
in first-class order. There are five rooms
in the basement, viz: one room in which
the cream tempering watts are placed; a
churning room; storage room for the
manufactured butter; boiler and en-
gine room; and an Office. Water is in
troduced in the building from hill
side spring ninety-six rods distant; the
hot and cold water tanks are copper
lined; and the sink is provided with both
hot and cold water. A cistern for hold
ing the butter-milk is situated outside of
the building, provided with pump, and
pipe from the churning room conveys
the butter-milk to it; and another pipe
also leads to second tank which re-
ceives the waste water and general drain
age. The engine is fOur-horse power,
but the boiler has capacity of siX-horse
power; and we believe the Directors are
considering the plan of adding a mill for
grinding grain and feed, as there is now
no grain mill in town. This could be
done at very small expense and would
be public convenience.
The fixtures for the creamery were
furnished by the Vermont Farm Machin-
cry Company, Bellows Falls, VT, and
the farm creamers, all of the Cooley
make, were furnished by Mr.. l. c. Bick-
ford, Lewiston, Me. The churn is one
of the Cornish & Curtis make, Fort At
kinson, Wisconsin, having capacity of
two hundred gallons. 1t is of hexagOni-
cal form, and when in perfect motion,
such as is best for the churning of the
cream, makes forty-five revolutions q
minute. The room in which the cream
tempering watts are placed is kept at the
temperature of 60 degrees. The cream
is kept in the tank from twenty-four to
thirty-six hours before it is churned.
These tanks each have capacity of one
hundred and fifty gallons, and it is
thought that three will eventually be
necessary. The time of churning is
from fifty to seventy minutes. The wa
ter from the spring has a temperature of
so degrees, and no ice will be needed in
the manipulations of the creamery, ex-
cepting for shipping purposes. For the
present the butter will be packed in tubs,
but should there be a demand for it,
prints can be made. One ounce of Hig-
gins Eureka salt is used per pound of
butter.
The managers of the company have
arranged for two cream collecting routes
-one known as the Monmouth, and the
other as the Readfield route. 1t is
thought that eventually a third route
will be necessary. These routes are each
about twenty miles in length. So far,
forty eight family creamers have been
put out, having the capacity of from
three to ten cans each. These are all the
Cooley pattern. The patrons who are
furnishing cream to the factory have
gone into the plan with thoroughness.
many have built ice and dairy houses
combined, at considerable expense, and
some have introduced spring water into
them. Where this has not been done,
wells have been dug near the ice house,
where water may be pumped directly to
the creamer, without the trouble of
carrying it in pals, often quite long
distance. The number of cows kept
varies from three etotwenty-four. to Among
those who keep the largest number are
the following: John C. Wood, twenty
four; r. Alden, twenty-one; B. W.
Chandler, eighteen; N r.. Pike fourteen; !;
Nathaniel Kimball, George Lowell, e..
eleven; l.. X. Litchfield and Jesse S.
Wood, ten each.
The man collecting the cream gives
each person credit for the amount of
milk in inches and eighths of inches re-
ceived each day. The collecting cans
each have capacity of twenty gallons.
Two quarts of properly skinned milk
will make one pound of butter, on an
average. The butter is washed in cold
water in the churn, before it is taken out,
and after it has been gathered is trans
fered to the worker, the salt worked in,
and the butter sufficiently worked at one
time. Formerly it was salted and work
ed one day, and re-worked the day after
and packed. Now it is all worked at
once, and that when it is churned. The
cream is to be gathered every day, and
the churning done every day. Sunday
excepted.
The first churning consisted Of about
eighty gallons of cream and the product
was one hundred and sixty pounds of
butter. The Superindent informed US
he had rarely seen cream yield so little
buttermilk as this. The buttermilk is all
sold to one party, at the factory, for three
cents per gallon. 1t is supplied to fam
lies for cooking purpose. For the but
ter the Directors have already had sever
al offers. There are parties in this city,
in Portland, in Lewiston, and in Boston
who want to handle it, but it will prob
ably all go to Boston, as a very good Of
fer has been made for it by a Boston
merchant.
1t has required considerable push, en-
ergy and hard work to carry through this
enterprise to the success that has already
been attained; and while all the Direc-
tors have worked unitedly and earnestly
for its accomplishment, it is not too much
to say that to Mr.. r. Alden is due the
chief credit for having shouldered the