The Press., 1892-08-25
Correspondence,
(COII0SpUIIU0HC6. Garden Prairie, H., Aug. 20, 1899.


 Garden Prairie, H., Aug. 20, 1899.
 There is here an industry which but few other communities can boast of-a milk sugar factory. Milk sugar is used chiefly in connection with medicines. Besides the factory here, there is one in Capron, Bigfoot and St. Charles, all of which are located in this part of the state; and these, am told, are the only ones in this country anywhere. These, and believe the entire industry in the United States, are under control of one company which, it might be said, has a monopoly of it. These factories have to be operated in connection with cheese factories, as the sugar is made of the whey of the milk.
 The cheese factory here is, also, but ter factory. During the summer season about twelve thousand pounds of milk are taken in daily, on the average, and eighteen thousand in the winter time. dred pounds, and the price varies with the butter market. Last year the average price was about one dollar and three cents per hundred pounds. In July, just past, the average was seyenty-five cents but this is much more than some factories pay. We have heard of one in Wisconsin which paid only forty-eight cents. The factory settles with the farmers the first and middle of each month.
 The milk, when taken in, is run through the Alpha Delaval, No. cream separator, a Swiss invention, and claimed to be one of the very best of the entire class of sep arators. Two thousand pounds of milk an hour can be run through the two sep arators in use here. The butter-fat taken out is left standing day for it to sour, when it is made into butter and got ready for the market. Two shipments week are made, the butter going east and south. The patrons of the factory are, also, SUD- piled with it; and, in fact, the community generally goes to the factory for this ta- ble article. We find it to be very good indeed. The price is usually pl etty good, as we give one cent more pound than the quotations on the Elgin market. This is good thing for the milkman. The more the butter sells for the higher is the price given the farmer for his milk. Also, the more butter fiat in the milk the great CT is the advantage to him hence it pays him to keep his COWS we'll, and to keep good animals.
 After the cream is taken out the milk is run off through pipes into vats, where it goes through the cheese making process. At this factory no cheese is made from June first, or middle, to August first, or middle. In making the cheese Neutral, ,'' that is leaf lard, is used in the proportion of one and one-haf pound of lard to one hundred pounds of milk. The impression is quite general in the community, which, by the way, doesn't use the cheese very much, that the lard used is cotton-seed oil; but I am assured by the manager oi l the factory, whose word have every rea- son to believe, that such is not the case. The Neutral" is of the finest quality and entirely wholesome, otherwise it would spoil the good taste of the cheese and Sc | be thrown off the market. These cheese are put on the southern market, mostly l since they are not so expensive as the full cream make. which our more well-to-do class of people prefer. The poorer peo. pie of the south, who are so fond of this food, use it extensively.
 | After the curd is made there is left the whey, and this is run off through pipes l into tanks, and from these tanks into pans. In this factory there are sixteen pans, about five by sixteen feet in dimen- sion, and a foot deep. The whey is just simply boiled down by steaming pro- cess, which frees it from everything but the sugar. It is drawn off about three times before it attains the right consist ency. When it is boiled down and cooled it looks very much like dark cakes o1 maple sugar, but it is not very tastey. From here it is sent to be refined at St. Charles, where the only refinery is To- cated. It is sold for a good price, and those in the business must do well. The sugar factory is owned and managed by company entirely separate from the cheese factory.
 From this account it will be seen that the COW is very valuable animal. Her milk alone, makes butter, cheese and sugar. Young debaters who discuss the relative value of the COW and the horse can make note of this.
 There are other butter and cheese fac tories in this region. The dairy business is chief industry hereabouts and it seems | +oy -I4 l. | very busy with his COWS.
 Going about the country recently, we notice that there are a good many who have large patches of cucumbers, and we learn that the fruit of this vine is taken to pickle factories, where it receives fifty cents bushel. It is thought to be prof itable. It is certainly good thing fol any community to have it's raw material used up where it is grown. Producers must have consumers, and the more the better for them. o. P. CHAMPLIN.