The Portland daily press., 1898-12-08
Suggestions for the enefit Of Our
Butter Makers.
AN INTERESTING EXHIBITION AT
CITY HALL NOW OPEN.

The man whose knowledge of butter
making is based upon an acquaintance
with the old-fashioned up and down
churn would be forced to confess himself
an utter ignoramus if he should visit
City Hall today. The machinery there
exhibited in the shape of serarators, So
called and tread power machines is sur
prising. But these are only few of the
appliances shown. There are churns
which revolve and which have something
the appearance of SO many stuffed aero
bats, and there are other machines which
would have been laughed out of town
forty years ago, yet now are commonplace
to most of the visitors at the hall.
1t is critical crowd which gathers
around the exhibits. Said gray bearded
man to an exhibitor yesterday morning,
commenting on thing which came from
Boston highly recommended: 81
wouldn't have that in my barn for $50,
much less use it, and that settled it.
The opinion was that of an expert. All
the exhibits, whether of butter or dressed
poultry, or power machinery or salt, or
coloring matter, are viewed by men and
women who know their value.
The premiums were not awarded last
night There seems to have been consid-
cradle discussion over them and the con-
sequence is that many of the fine displays
are unmarked by the names of their
producers. The fancy shows are SO nu-
! merous as to be somewhat out of proper
ton. They are curious and interesting
an incubator an6 brooder with lot
| of chickens in it, and there is hen food
and various other things. Bat In sub.
stance it is a dainty SLOW with butter
and cheese as it's chief components
The exercises at the hall vest ,rday
morning began with a short speech Of
wei ONE by Mayor Randall. to which
| President W. Fl. Moody of the board of
agriculture, responded. There were two
addresses at tho forenoon session, one by
Secretary B. Walker McKeen of the state
board of agriculture, and the other by
Prof. George M. Gowel of the Orono uni
versity.
Mr.. McKeen spoke of the outlook for
dairying in 1899. He believes that never
in the history of dairying in Maine has
there been a brighter outlook or more
encouraging prospects for active, intelli-
gent work, than at the present time.
Ever since the first dairy conference was
held in Maine, We have been continually
met with the cry of possible overpro-
auction OF dairy goods and occasionally
have been asked by conservative people
to call halt and to turn the attention
of our farmers to some other lines oil
work rather than to an increase work
along dairy lines. but notw outstanding
all of the WORK that has been done by
the board of agriculture and by some 9TH
err institutions and organizations, the fact
remains that the quantity of butter man
ufactured in Maine has not kept Epace
with the increased demand from our own
people, SO that today We find creameries
IN our own state buying butter from
abroad, much of 1t coming from the ex-
treme West, for distribution among their
regular customers.
The secretary says there are not quite
SO many COWS in the state as there were
last year, but this is due
to the exceptionally high prices
the present season. This fact, taken
together with tine rise in the price of beef
and the increasing interest in the pro-
duction of steers, is responsible for this
decrease. As a rule the work of the
| or3o 10 IF
have strictly enforced rules regarding
cleanliness and the keeping of cattle and
handling of milk, which have an excel
lent effect. Mr.. McKeen noted that
through all the depression in prices that
the business world has been called to
face tie past few years, the products of
our dairy herds have maintained their
prices in the market better than any
other manufactured product.
Speaking of the work of the creameries
Mr.. McKeen said he thought that as a
rule their work is being done fairly and
we'll II believe that before we look SO
riously into the future, however, the
creameries of our state should come to
some mutual understanding, by organiza-
ton or otherwise, as to the condition the
cream shall be in when it reaches the
factory and methods of collecting it. !"
Said the secretary: "Let us all start
into the season of 1899 with purpose to
improve our methods, and to do better
work than we have ever done in the past,
remembering that it is necessary for us
also, If we are satisfied. that dairying is
the branch of farming that we desire to
follow, to increase the amount of our out
put until our COW population shall be
dense enough SO that the CIT ameries -ill
be enabled to collect cream At such times
and in such condition that the very best
article of butter can be made from it. y
The barns of Maine are filed to overflow.
in2 with folders produced to adv ntage
and the market is waiting for the goods.
Prof Gowell spoke of the year just
closing. He said it had been favorable
one for the dairy interests. He had tried