The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-11-15
A BUTTER FACTORY WHICH is
PROFITABLE TO OWNERS
AND PATRONS.

Long experience in newspaper work
gives one self fconfidence. Outsiders
might call it cheek. But whatever it
Is it enabled me few weeks ago, dur
ing my summer outing, to march
boldly up the door of the Forest City
creamery at Portland. Me-, and ask
the managers to give me an interview
in the interests of our dairy readers
They not only gave me the interview,
but also glass of delicious cream, the
one as acceptable as the other / may
say the first thing that struck my eye
as | entered the door of the creamery
was a large sign bearing the words
"No Smoking"
The principal products of the soil
Immediately a ound Portland are hay
and potatoes apparently, with some
| ensilage corn, yet the Forest City
creamery uses up the milk of no less
than 1000 COWS, and the farm houses
and grounds look as though their own
ers were prosperous. The CO US are
fed largely on hay and ensilage in the
cold weather. The grain they con
sumo is mostly bought and shipped
from farther South in the corn coun-
try Still the great sweet corn canning
industry of Maine yields quantity of
first class fodder, none OF hich is
wasted.
How does the milk you get pan out
in butter fat?'' asked the manager
g 1t is all the way from 81 to per
cent, he answered. 1T will aver
age steadily per cent.
He finds that they have been able to
grade up the richness of the milk In
that part of Maine decidedly in the
years they have run the creamery.
The grading up has been done by the
admixture of Jersey milk into the farm
dairy, very visible admixture indeed
it has proved in this case. The con
slant endeavor has also been to educate
the patrons to be more cleanly and
careful in the treatment of the milk.
1t comes In every day by the carload
in great tin cans, each can having a
slip attached with the senders name
The creamery supplies the cans, find
ing that way most satisfactory.
Each farmers milk is tried by the
Babcock test. IF any mans product
does not come up to the standard fixed
| by the creamery he Ia dropped from
the list of patrons Thus there Is an
absolute necessity that the milk shall
contain it's right percentage of butter
| fat. The milk car runs close up along
|
are brought inside upon a truck thence
| they are lifted bodily UP TO the vat
which conveys the milk to the cream
separator. The milk Is warmed to
about 85 degrees for the separator The
managers also purchase SKINNED
cream from their patrons where such
arrangement is made. But they find
| this, to the truth of which also tes
| tify: The separated cream is smoother
and of more even and fine quality than
| the gathered cream. I believe the
time will come when all farmers hav-
ing as many as half a dozen COWS will
use a separator to get the cream from
the milk. The person who could in
vent hand separator to fit such
dairy would have fortune and be
benefactor to the farmer. Such sepa-
rator we must and will have.
The Portland creamery turns out at
| present about 1000 pounds of butter
daily. Considerable cream is sold, too,
to ice cream makers and hotels. They
have three grades of cream, according
torichness. For instance the Individual
who drinks glass of cream does not
want it to be as heavy as If he put it
into his coffee. Also the boarding
house keeper is profoundly interested
|
so rich that it will injure the digestion.
I asked what was done with the milk
that was left after the cream was taken
from it. was told that much of it
was sold. Perhaps it may be telling
tales out of school, but the fact is that
much of this SKINNED milk every
! where is bought by milk dealers to
mix with the honest milk they get
from the farmer, and thus make the
honest milk pan out a good deal longer
and thinner than it otherwise would
In fact, here IN New York, l myself
have thus been imposed on by arascally
dealer, but knew the difference and
| stopped the milk. He, does not know
to this day why | stopped it.
The Portland creamery proprietors
fatten several pigs on the milk they do
not SELL But | wish creamery men
generally would take into considera
ton seriously the matter of fattening
people little more on the buttermilk
! that they have left. I believe that a
money making trade might be built up
| bY every creamery man simDly In this
matter of buttermilk. It is a royal
drink for hot weather, and healthful
in both hot and cold weather.
The creamery men at Portland run
their machinery with an engine of 15-
horse power. They say that their plant
altogether has cost them about Sc. 600.
A considerable amount of this capital,
however, is invested In the hundreds
of heavy tin cans which they furnish
for the farmers to put milk in They
are about to enlarge their building A
new kind of butter worker has also at
tracted their attention, which they be
lieve will be superior to the present
one IN use In most creameries. Briefly
explained, it is one that will move over
the butter up and down and around
vertically instead of In the present
horizontal manner The buttermilk
and water will thus have .achance to
| fall out by gravity partially.