The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-24
Old and Now Creamery Methods.

| injury IeJectiou.
Old and Now Creamery Methods.
II the rural grandmothers Of half centu-
ry ago could revisit tho scenes of their use-
fulness. the ruffies OF their muslin caps
would stand on edge with establishment at
some Of the things they would see. In the
dairy regions these women OF gentle men,
ory used generally to take 1t upon them
selves to see that everything about the
milk rooms was kept clean and sweet This
Office was held to be honorary. and notin any
degree mental. and they took pride In It,
In those days there were no creameries
and no cheese factories. The product Of
each dairy was made into butter or cheese
on the farm where 1t was produced, and
often when a farm hand came to the milk
room with two foaming pals Of warm milk,
the presiding grandmother could make
good guess as to the name Of the mild-eyed
member Of the herd to which she was in
debted for each pailful. For butter making
the milk was set in tin pans. and the
cream was left to take its time In rising
while the crickets chirped in the hopvines
over the windows. Intimate knowledge
concerning the quality OF milk given by the
various members Of the herd rendered it
possible to make fairly good guess
as to the comparative thickness OF
the crust Of cream that in due
time would be skinned from each pan.
When the quantity Of cream was sufficient
for churning. the old dash churn was
brought out and filled. The old churn!
What youngster OF those days will
ever forget it2 AS an engine for
bringing into play all the muscles
Of the human system. 1t has never
been equalled. No sweeter sound ever fell
on mortal ears than the humping within
the body Of the churn which told that the
butter at last was coming. After few
more thumps the welcome nuggets were
taken out and conscientiously worked
by bare-armed country maids until all the
buttermilk had disappeared. Then 1t was
tifully stamped by means Of wooden in
taglio with figures Of clover blossoms and
bullthistle blooms. That was the simple
process Of butter making fifty years ago.
and throughout much Of this country at q
considerably later period.
A glance at the varied pages Of the
periodicals that are now devoted to the
creamery interest. reveals the extent OF the
changes that half century has brought.
Instead Of one herd Of cattle. hundred
herds or more contribute material for a
single churning. When dairyman dellv- |
ers his milk at creamery station. the |
chemist can tell. by applying his test to the |
contents Of the weighing can. just how |
much butter the farmer is entitled to be |
credited with. provided that the machinery |
does It's work properly. This is great i'm |
provement upon the archaeological test OF |
q few years ago, which consisted In being
on the lookout for minnows. whose pres
ence In the milk was held to indicate an I'M
due aqueous percentage. At the stations,
steam power takes the place Of gravita-
ton. There Is no waiting for the cream to
come to the top Of pan because it
is lighter than skim milk; the milk Is
run through separators spinning at the rate
of more than q hundred revolutions Sec
ond. and out OF one part of the machine
comes cream In the percentage indicated by
the unfailing test previously made by the
chemist. The product OF forty or fifty Of
these separator stations Is In some in
stances received at single central plant to
be made into butter. Here there is capacity
for taking care Of thousands Of gallons OF
cream at one time. till 1t Is churned and
worked by steam power. and packed for
shipment. The product Is marketed. and
The diaryman Is credited with his share OF
the proceeds less the charges Of the manu-
lacturer. Here again the result must
tally closely with the chemical tests made
when the farmer delivered his milk
Among the factors to be taken into ao-
count by the proprietors Of creameries are
he cost OF the plant-somewhere from
1900 to $4,000: the consumption OF fuel In
power: the comparative thor
,ughness with which the various kinds OF
'eparators do their work: and tho cost of
Tho skilled labor necessary to handle the
Material to be manufactured. All OF this
s comparatively an old storyto those who
lave kept up with the march OF improve
nent in respect to the various interesting
departments OF farm life: but it Is new and
strange to those who In boyhood went
way from the old farm. and now. in
middle age or older. think of things as still !,
.oing on In the milk rooms In the same
way as when directed by the white-haired
lame in ruffled cap OF muslin.