The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-04-01
Shall We Have a Creamery?
spfcial Meeting Of the Board Of Trade Con-
sidfrs the subject. What was said by Secre-
tary McKeen of the State Board of Agriculture.

w ~
known as the Creamery Real Estate Com
pany, capitalized at $4,000, with shares at
$40 each. About 81 200 had been subscribed.
1t is proposed that this company shall build
and equip creamery and Wilson & Eaton
of Bangor stand ready to lease it at renta
that will pay per cent. on stock; they to
pay all taxes and insurance and keep the
plant in repair. The company will have
nothing to do with operating the creamery.
B. H. Conant, member of the committee,
spoke of the difficulty in securing subscrp-
tons and thought our people should Take
hold of the enterprise. He said there were
three creameries in Bangor, all doing a
profitable business, and the same is true of
the creamery at Unity.
B. Walker McKeen, Secretary of the State
Board of Agriculture, who was present by
invitation, was then called upon by Presi-
dent Sibley and made very interesting
presentation of the creamery question in all
its phases, His remarks were informal, and
he invited questions from the audience.
Many good points We're brought out by en-
Quiries from Mr.. Sibley. Mr.. Mckeen spoke
| first of the creamery from the farmers stand
| point, and from personal experience. He is
practical farmer himself. He told of his
conducting a private dairy on his farm in
| Fryeburg, having regular customers for its
product. After a time he found it impossi-
| BILE to carry on the work without outside
| help and discontinued butter making. He
soon began to feel the need of the cash in
come from his butter, and was at loss
what to do. Mentioning the matter at the
Portland Creamery, they said, why not ship
your cream to us? He did not think that
feasible as the distance was fifty miles by
rail, but they assured him it was, and ar
rangements were made, and the first ship
ment of cream from Fryeburg station went
from his farm. Others in the ueighborhood
| soon began to ship and now large
quantities are sent. 1t costs nearly
four cents per pound TO collect the
cream in Fryeburg and transport it to Port
| land, and Mr. McKeeu hopes day to
have creamery at home. He did not say
what was Melted from cream sent to Port
land but the price was evidently satisfactory
and the labor of butter-making at home was
avoided This is feature of the creamery
business which will appeal to the farmers
wives and daughters.
Mr. McKeen is not only practical farm
err but as Secretary of the State Board of
Agriculture for many years he has become
| thoroughly conversant with the working of
creameries throughout the State, as well as
with agricultural matters generally. There
are sc creameries now in successful opera
| -. a., f1l
few as to be hardly worth mentioning. The
creamery established at Rockland few years
/ ago is not running, but there is more cream
cry business done there to-day than before
it started.
Mr.. McKeen said that in travelling about
| the State with others to held farmers insti-
tutes it was remarked that the greatest
signs of prosperity were seen in the dairy
sections. The general decline in prices has
hardly affected dairy products, while food
| for stock is very much cheaper than ever
| before. They are now making starch from
corn which is laid down at the mills in Lew
lston at 81 cents per pound-a bad outlook
for the potato starch factories of Aroostook
and what remains of the corn after the
starch is extracted makes an excellent food
which is sold at SIG per ton. 1t has not the
| fat producing qualities of cotton seed meal,
| but is cheap and desirable food
waldo county" said Mr.. McKeen, "and
[ do not say it because [ am in Waldo coun-
ty, is admirably adapted TO dairying. | have
had occasion to drive across the country
| quite often, and sometimes with western
men, who have noted the qualities of the
soil, the food grasses and the abundance of
water, and have compared it with the great
dairying regions of New York and Pennsvl-
vania."
| Mr.. Mckeen in answer to question, said
he did not consider dairying profitable with
poor cows. He did not recommend any
special breed, but thought the best res ATS
We're obtained from high grade stock,
whether Jersey or Guernsey and such stock
! should be bred to pure males, and not inter-
mixed He advised dairymen to put senti-
ment into the care of their stock: to have
them well fed and well-housed, and then
they would find dairying profitable bust
ness. He explained the various methods of
handling and transporting cream, the use of
the Babcock tester, etc. F.; and recommended
the use OF the separator, although he would
| not advise those who have the Cooley sys-
tenn to throw it aside. Ice is, of course, in
dispensble and he did not find it a great
deal of work to put up a supply. He used
to saw his ice, but had bought pillow and
some other ice tools at cost of only $40
which made ice gathering much easier. He
was that those who once put up ice
would never again be without it in the sum-
mer months. With the use of the separator
| less ice is required.
| Some one having stated that the Belfast
creamery could start with 500 cows Mr..
| Walter Cooper, one of the committee, who
accompanied Mr.. Wilson on a drive to
Searsmont for the purpose of seeing and in
| teresting farmers in the creamery, stated he
was satisfied that at least that number of
| cows would be available
| Mr.. McKeen thought that favorable in
dication indeed. He knew of one creamery
that started with 800 cows, but it is not ad-
visable to start with less than 300.
President Sibley said he had made en-
quiries concerning the men who proposed to
come here Mr. EatOp 10 mot b,+tor