Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-03-09
FARM AND HOME.
The Word Creamery.

! In a recent article on skinned
cheese, and very instructive one, too,
written for the American Cultiyator by
B. ID. Gilbert of Utica, n. Y, that gen
tleman refers to my use OF the words
"butter factory" and creamery" In
these Talks as applied TO the same
thing and states that in New York state
there is well-defned distinction. l
nearly agree with him as to the proper
and restricted use OF these terms, but
there is no controlling the common use
OF the English tongue and the adoption
OF names to suit the users. So, after
pretty long contest, / have about con-
cluded that the werd creamery" may
as well be used as most people seem to
understand it, although, as l believe, 1t
is not strictly correct.
The first form OF cooperative dairy
ing was in cheese making, and there
was no trouble in fixing the name
''cheese factory" which continues to be
used, Enthusiastically. Then came the
''butter factory" equally well under
stood, the only commercial product be-
ing butter. 1t does seem a pity that
this plain title could not DO retained
for all establishments whose only pro-
duct, or even whose chief product, is
butter. But it is simple fact that this
is not the case. The term creamery"
was first applied to factories in that part
OF New York to which Mr.. Gilbert
specially refers, where both butter and
cheese were made. But his restriction
Of the word is too narrow; he would
make it apply to only such factories as
receive milk. skim it, and make both
butter and skim cheese. am sure Mr..
Gilbert is willing 10 extend his defni-
ton TO include places which partly
rkim, and make butter and hall-skim-
ned-cheese. But this Is not broad
enough for me. My idea OF true
creamery Is a business establishment
where milk Is received from numerous
producers, and then handled, sold or
manufactured, according TO the discre-
zion OF manager or proprietor, guided
mainly by the state OF the market. At
one time the milk win DO thoroughly
cooled, then shipped and sold; at an
other time it may be skinned or separ-
ated, and cream and skim-milk sold
separately. Again. cream may go To
market and the skim-milk be made into
cheese, and, at still other times, butter
and skim cheese, or full-cream cheese,
or ice cream, may be tho product for
market. / know such places, and these
seem to me to be properly called cream
nries, and only these. But how useless
10 contest these facts. When patent
milk pans and pals, OF various sizes and
shapes, shut up in a box or closet, arc
called ''creameries, nine times out OF
ten we can't reasonably deny the title
70 a factory where cream Is the only
raw material received and manufac-
Eured, even II the only thing this factory
turns out is butter.
With the extension and variation OF
The associated system OF butter-making,
itself almost as often called ''the cream
cry system the word creamery has,
In the popular mind, and in commercial
circles, come 70 be very generally ap-
piled to butter factories OF oil kinds.
In the great dairy districts OF the
northwest, butter factories have been
called creameries ever since they be-
gan TO be numerous. In New England
more than nine-tenths OF all the butter
factories are on the cream gathering
plan, and still larger proportion are
called creameries. Mr.. Gilbert's def
milton of the creamery by no means
holds good throughout New York;
there are numerous creameries' In
Orange and other counties, where
neither butter nor cheese are made,
and in Franklin, Delaware, Chautau.
qua and elsewhere, pure butter factor
les carry the same title. The product !
Of butter factories in all sections when
u reaches market Is known as ''cream- |
cry butter" Factory butter'' Is a |
very different thing.
This is but one Of the many instan-
ces, by far too many, where our agri- |
cultural literature, by local and gener-
al custom, gives number Of different |
names to the same thing. There ought
o be systematic effort to simplify
our agricultural nomenclature, and dis
'ard useless and confusing synonyms.
AS matters now stand, the dictionary
governed by popular usage. |
will soon displease both Mr.. Gilbert
and myself, by telling, OFFICIALLY
hat "butter-factory" means a cream
Dry, and creamery" butter factory.
American Cultivator
Japan Buckwheat.
There is much to be said in favor OF