Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-07-23
CHEESE BOX MAKING.
| AN EXTENSIVE INDUSTRY OF WHICH
LITTLE rs KNOWN


Half j Million Doitsrs' Worth Of Cases
Turilcd Out Yearly By Expensive ma
chinkry-- How the Logs Arc Cooked and
rhetj Cut into Unbroksn Sheets.
An idea Of the magnitude Of the
cheese| industry in this country is given
by thel fact that the boxes In which the
cheese is shipped represent cost OF
nearlI $500. 900 annually. 1t is not
many years since cheese was shipped in
any kind Of barrel or box which would
hold f|om one to half dozen good sized
forms packed in straw to keep them
from being bruised or broken in the
handling. II was only factory made
checsei that received such protection,
while dairy cheese was sent to market
destitute of any covering other than its
own ibughly bandaged rind, which in
most uses proved invulnerable Com
petition among manufacturers has
change h all this, and at present the
manufacture Of boxes gives employment
10 la| go number of hands and necessi
tates the use II powerful and expensive
niachilery.
II WIS customary in the early days Of
the business to saw the hoops, as the
large BODY Of the box is called, out OF
the lod in planks abont one-fifth OF an
inch I'D thickness. The waste Of materi-
MI wasla most serious objection TO this
plan, fully 30 per cent Of the timber
going IN sawdust The invention of the
rotary PUTTING machine has prevented
this wlste and nc the same time pro-
duccd 4 better hoop than the sawed arti-
Gle. The chief timber used in making
choeScl|ox hoops is the common swamp
elm. no other timber seems 10 possess
tho sanlc qualities OF lightnoSs, tough
ncss abd elasticity so requisite for
chococlljxcs as this once deSpised prod
net of American forests. The logs, aft
or beinE Gu; in the proper lengths, gen.
orally + feet for MI ordinary cheese
box Of tljie or 10 inches diameter. are
thrown into long watts filled with water,
where thcy are boiled froi::: 70 10 90
hours The time required 10 soften tho
TIMBER or cook II. as the operation is
called, EaricS according % the size OF
tho timb Der and the season Large logs
require TO be cooked longer than small
ones. particularly when the logs arc
frozen. IL il not uncommon IN find the
center ~ log still frozen after Is hours
az hoilihg
Expcfence j. the best guidc in this
part Of lhe business. and 10 know when
the tim lor * thoroughly cooked and not
ovcrdonI il one Of the things acquired
only IA constant observation. When
sufficiently boiled the logs are lifted IN
iron graEplcs from the watts ard laid on
skids, where the bark is removed. Then
u log is llif;ed by crane and swung in
10 placo1in the machine, where il is hold
in u hlrizontal position by chucks or
dogs thu L confer 1t ut each end.
In thl position the log revolves like
n roll o1 paper in printing press. The
knife w icll does tho eating is very
heavy a III is tolted to n heavy head
called aicarriagc, which is fed forward
By SCREWS toward the revolving log. In
the mosl approved machines the knife
has an Ind or oscillating rs well as n
forward motion. This reduces tho strain
on the n|achinc and permits tho cutting
~ soft, jlnsuund and shaky hearted logs.
As the Ehifo comes in contact with the
timber. ihe inequalities Of the log are
first ,hc ln of aud gradually the log be
comes plrtectly round and yields an un
bro On : Eect Of lumber, ike tho unwind
ing Il Glroll Of cloth. This sheet II
wood Isl broken of in conYenicnt
lengths, (which arc passed under divid
ing knjvl i that cut them into uniform
widths corresponding with the required
depth of lhc box
II the loxcs arc 10 be mada MP OF once
the hoop are bent around iron cylinders
10 give them the form Of tine box, after
which tho bottom is pressed in and
nailed ih place. Comparatively fow
boxes a:b put together in the larger
mills ID most cases the product is dried
and ship led to tho cheese mnufactur
ing ccn,irs. where the boxes are com
pleted. he boxes in the finished state
are too bilky for economical handling |
An ordini,iy freight car viii not con
tain NOR / than 500 complete boxes,
while 3, 90 can bc carried if shipped in
the bale
Tho n mnants which AFRO not wide |
enough fCr hoOpa are used fo- tho cover |
band and for the narrow hand that goes |
around tht bottom Of the box. The box |
e. vary I'D size both rs regards depth |
and DIANE The most common size |
will hold cheese Of from 60 to G5 |
pounds Such q box is 10 inches deep |
and i5i, inches in diameter This is
the size n cheese most in demand for |
export. The size for home consumption
is Us Il ruiz much smaller and requires |
box FROM . 10 o inches deep, but of the
same diam etCr % the other.
Narions kinds Of timber ere used to
form the ihcads If the box, but elm is
the accepted material for the hoops.
Owing to pecn!iarities Of tho soil, the
timber in fumu localities is inclined In
be shaky. the checks or shakes running
around thl log ana following the grain
Of the timber. Such timber was useless
when the hoops wo,c sawed, but in the
rotary profess muCh It 1t can be turned
To good ac}ount. The bulk Of the elm
timber use i in this business is brought
in from G. nada
The eSlern peninsula Of Ontario ly-
ing north ,If Lake Erie contained one Of
tie largest tracts Of elm timber on the
continent { has been greatly depleted in
recent yeaIE Logs are taken out III win
ter when d " swamps are frozen and are
lkidd>d ne kr the railways or on the lake
shore Tht bulk Of them are taken 10
the mills y water in tow Of powerful
steam tugsl-Ncw York Sun.