Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-07-15
A Big Thing FOR THE COW
The Beginning of the Creamery
Industry In Whatcom
County
A Visit to the Custer Creamery.
Description of the
Plant
Superior Product of the New
Institution---Its Growing
Market

The enterprise of Mr.. James Brown,
of Custer, in establishing at that point a
creamery has given to the Puget Sound
country new and important industry,
which, when developed, will become an
important factor of our agricultural
wealth. 1t opens to the ranchers of
that portion of the county certain and
profitable market for the product of
their dairies, and supplies in our market
a wholesome home product for the
deleterious comterfeits which bring
the blush of shame to the honest cow
This is the first creamery after the plan
of creameries of the middle west ever
established on Puget Sound. Although
built on a moderate scale everything in
its equipment is of the most modern
type, and on the whole the institution
is respectable beginning of the great
creamery industry that is sure to be de-
veloped in Western Washington.
A reporter of the HERALD recently
visited Mr.. Browns plant. 1t is situa-
ted a few yards back from the railway
station where a substantial and we'll
arranged building with hollow walls
filled with sawdust has been erected.
The churning room, where the milk is
received and converted into butter is a
large, well-hghted apartment, floored
with concrete. Everything is clean
and the cool atmosphere is filled with
4
Three drivers collect the milk from
the ranchers during the forenoon and
deliver it in a large receiving vat.
Early in the afternoon the process of
separating" is commenced. This is
the modern way of skimming Instead
of letting the milk stand until it be-
comes sour and rank to let the cream
rise, the cream is taken from the fresh
milk by De Lovalve centrifugal sep
arator. The milk is passed from the re-
ceiving vat to tin heating tank set in
hot water, where the temperature is
raised to 7O0. A feed tube conveys it
from this to the separator. 1t enters a
globular steel bowl revolving at 1000
revolutions per minute. The centrif-
ugal force makes the particles of cream
fly upward and adhere to the wall of
the bowl. This accommodating coating
of cream continually works upward and
flows out through an opening near the
top, while the blue skinned milk is
carried off through another nozzle.
The cream is then placed in a cooling
vat where it is kept twenty-four hours.
1t is then converted into butter by
means of a revolving churn, and
passes to patent butter worker, where
the butter milk is worked out. The
motive power is furnished by six
horsepower engine. The water supply
is from well in the milk room, which
produces an abundant flow of the best
of water. Another apartment is
equipped for the manufacture of cheese
and a third for storing the product
while curing.
AT present the creamery is receiving
about 200 gallons of milk daily, for
which the rancher receives 8 cents per
gallon. This is equivalent to 27 cents
per pound for butter, which is much
better than farmers can do making
their own butter.
Farmers who sell their milk to the
creamery have only to do the milking;
the rest is all done by the creamery. A
driver calls each morning and takes
the milk, saving the patron all further
care for the manufacture or sale of the
butter 1t will take time, of course, to
educate the farmers to the advantages
Of selling their milk, but they cannot
help but see it, and the result will un-
doubtedly bel a continual increase of the
number of the creamery's patrons.
Pasture lands will afford the owner
steady and certain revenue, and the
raising of dairy stock will become
more remunerative. A good cow can,
with milk at cents per gallon, easily
earn from 81 to $3.50 per day by the
sweat of her nose, without working
overtime, besides attending to her ma
ternal duties, and taking all time need
ful for recreation and for her mental
and moral development.
The creamery has only been in oper-
alton about two weeks, but the super
ior quality of its butter is rapidly in
creasing the demand for its product.
AT present about eighty pounds of
butter and eighty pounds Of cheese is
being made daily. 1t will be about six
weeks yet before the first of the cheese
will be sufficiently cured. The butter
is perfect in color and flavor.
The creamery has cost about $500.
Mr.. Brown is deserving of great credit
for the establishment of an enterprise
that will add so much to the product
i've wealth of his community. He is
one of the pioneers of the Custer settle
ment. He is one of the three Brown
brothers, Ed, John and James, who
settled there in the wilderness on ad-
joining quarter sections twelve years
ago. By their industry and ability
they have indeed made the wilderness
blossom as the rose.