The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-07-12
CLATSOP PLAINS,
STOCK and Dairy Interests-Butter and Cheese
haking-Clatsop Creamery Cheese.
(From the Pacific Farmer

Il
sop Plains country proper, extending
from Fort Stevens, Skipanon and
foung'S bay, near the mouth of Lewis
and Clarke river, and showing a front
age or SIX or seven miles, extends south
distance of about fifteen miles, mar
rowing to a mile or more in width at
TlllamoOk head, is all of peculiar forma-
tion. Up and down the plains extend
ridges, some of them miles in length,
nearly parallel with the sea-shore, most
ly OF sandy formation, from ten to fifty
and even hundred feet or more in
height, separated from each other by a
few yards to quarter mile or more dist
ance, smooth and wavy like lofty bill
lows CHASING each other over the surface
OF the mighty deep. The tops and sides
OF these narrow and sharply-defned
ridges, except the one nearest the beach,
are for the most part, where undisturbed.
covered with 4 close growth of velvet
or, as it is sometimes called, mesquit
grass. 1t is, however, not the true mes
quit grass such as is found indigenous
to Texas. The hollow depressiOns
where not to low, will produce a mixture
Oh grasses, such as timothy. velvet grass
white clover and several other varieties
| OF native clover, of luXuriant and almost
perennial growth, in contrast to that on
the ridges, which always shows a burnt
stunted appearance before the summer
| is over.
In other parts, more n0ticeably toward
the extreme ends of the Plains, and the
| SIDES furtheSt inland, are grOwths OF
spruce, alder and hemlock. and some fir
the largest body of the latter being on
ISklpanon (Skepaneown) creek, at a
point of timber nearest its mouth. The
i form SyInnrNnra
II we are to believe those most versed in
htGts1tp lore. is name given to the
creek generations ago, indicating by Il
meaning the exaggerated mCanderings
OF the stream-like the gyratory move
ments of a snake when crawling.
The bottom of the lowest depreSsiOns
between the sandy ridges in many
places, being about sea level and some
times below it, small lakes and pools OF
water of varying width and depth are
formed, causing much of the adjacent
low-lying lands to become more or less
swampy and boggy. A portion of these
low lands, where reclaimed in measure
by drainage, have proven wonderfully
productive. The open ridges and higher
depreSSionS, besides grass, produce in a
favorable season fine crops of grain and
| vegetables.
In this description no reference has as
yet been made to the tide lands of Clat-
sop, their character, extent, and the
| mOduS operandi in constructing dikeS.
The intention is to do this in separate
article hereafter to be published in The
Farmer.
On the Plains are score or more of
fine dairy and stock farms, of which
mention will now be made. Charles
Ward, who followed butter and cheese
making number of years in California,
owns fine dairy herd of forty cows two
or three miles from SkipanOn. The
stock is mostly grade Durham, raised
from Ladd & Reed stock. Mr.. Ward
prefers the Durham, he says, for dairy
purposes. Connected with the ridge
land on this farm we noticed q fine body
OF reclaimed marsh land now producing
fine pasture and meadow.
S. b. Smith, whose farm adjoinS that
Of Mr.. Ward, has dairy of 10 or 20
cows, but does not make dairying a
specially, leaning rather more to stock
raising. A poultry yard of several hum
dred fowls, in fine condition, also shows
an experienced interest in poultry.
G. Wingate, who keeps a small dairy
season from young heifers, grade Dur
ham, which he is now raising. The
most of them were sired by "Chief,"
a purebred Durham, by Hawthorne's
Christmas Eve.
Mr.. Carnahan, the proprietor of an
other excellent dairy farm, makes butter
all the year, except in summer, when
the milk is turned into cheese. Until a
few days past the cheese-making de-
partment of this dairy was under the
charge of Mr.. West, one of Josiah Vests
sons and firSt-claSs cheese-maker, but
is now in charge of n. W. Newport, who
kindly gave us the directions followed in
cheese-making at Carnahan'S.
There are at present three cheese fac
tories in operation on the Plains, viz:
One at Mr.. Vests, one at Mr.. Butter
fields, and the other at Carnahan'S.
There is still another at MIR. Wards,
but not in use. The plan and methods
followed at the different factories are
nearly identical, the only difference be-
description, made from inquiries at the
several factories, will suffice for all. In
CHEESE MAKING
The evenings and mornings milk is
usually worked and handled together.
When the evenings milk is put into the
cheese vat, which is done as soon as
convenient after milking, it is cooled as
quickly as possible by having the water
tank beneath the vat freshly filled with
cool well or spring water, meanwhile
keeping the cream from rising, as far
possible, by frequent STRINGS of the
milk. After cooling the stirring should
be repeated every half hour or oftener,
and the last thing at night, and then
again early in the morning, repeating
hnfnrn ahdinn fhn inn,c A
few minutes before straining in the
mornings milk a fire is started in the
furnace under the water tank and the
milk warmed to about GO degrees, at
which time put in the mornings COM
pletment of milk. During the warm
ing process the milk is stirred every
few minutes, to cause the cream that
has formed during the night to be
thoroughly mixed with the milk. When
all is put in the stirring should be kept
up and the whole heated TO "a or IS de-
grees, Lwhen liquid rennet is put in
sufficient to properly curd the milk in
thirty minutes. To know Just how
much rennet will be required to curd a
given quanty of milk, it is necessary to
make test of strength beforehand by
taking, say one-fourth pound or 5000
drops of milk and putting into it a GER
tain number OF drops OF liquid rennet,
and noting the time taken to curd.
This experiment will determine the
relative strength of the rennet, and the
amount required to curd a given guam
tity of milk in thirty minutes is easily
calculated. On adding the rennet stir
and mix quickly and thoroughly for
five minutes, then let rest until the curd
is fully set, which should be so ordered
as to come in half an hour-no more nor