The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-03-29
The Creamery in Minnesota.

ooH years lfOm SLudll beginnings,
the butter and cheese industry of
minnesota has risen to it's present
magnitude, when in 1898 the State
produced 48, $50, 900 pounds of but
ter and millions of pounds of cheese.
On January LIST of the previous
year there were in operation in
Minnesota $50 creameries and 80
cheese factories, thus making it one
of the principal dairy States of the
Union. During the past three
years at all the great dairy conven-
tions, Minnesota has almost uni
formly carried off the first prize for
perfection in butter making. This
is especially manifested in the Trans
Mississippi exposition at Omaha
when Minnesota was awarded the
first premium at four out of five
competitive scorings between it and
other dairy States Of the Union.
To have the greatest success in
butter and cheese making the fol-
lowing requirements are necessary
An abundant cool and pure supply
of water, cool climate free from ex-
tremes of heat in summer and with
cool nights, the latter being abso-
lutely necessary. Also a country
that will produce an abundance OF
summer grazing and winter forage.
If any one of these factors are alb
sent the greatest possible skill can
not manufacture butter and cheese
of the highest grade. It is because
Minnesota possesses in the high de.
: gree these qualities, that may be
traced it's amazing progress in the
dairy industry AS the central
part of the State, in Aitkin, Cass
Wadena, Morrison, Becker, Clay
Polk and other counties possess al
these advantages, the butter ano
cheese industry is naturally in
creasing very rapidly in centra
; Minnesota. Aitkin and surround
ing counties are the natural home
of the tame grasses; Nowhere west
of the Rocky Mountains do clover
timothy, blue grass and other past
ure grasses thrive as in that section
OF Minnesota, caused by the rich
productive soil, long summers with
abundant showers, free from with
ering drouths, where under such
favoring conditions red clover has
6 been known to make a growth O
fOrty-two inches from seed the yeal
it was sown, where timothy has
produced from two to four tons pei
acre and where bluegrass makes &
continuous growth throughout the
|. summer months, to add to these ad
vantages there are extensive natur
al hay meadows producing from one
and one-half to two and one-hal
tons per acre of natural blue joint
. and other grasses. Then this sec
ton of the State is truly a land O
lakes, springs, brooks and rivers
producing an unlimited supply O
that pure, cold water so necessary
in cooling milk and keeping it a
the proper temperature. AS if K
make this a perfect country fol
dairymen, there is an abundance O
timber, producing shelter and caus
= ing freedom from storms and strone
winds, thus enabling milk to be de
livered at the central stations dur
ing all days of the year. Immedi
ately to the eastward of these coun
ties is the market produced by the
cities of Superior and Duluth anc
the growing towns of the iron pro
ducing district of the State which
make the best local markets at the
highest price for butter and cheese
: of any part Of the northwest. Their
= for the shipper there exists the ad
vantage of being able to ship but
I ter and cheese to eastern markets
at merely nominal rate by water
from Duluth to Buffalo and Cleve
land and other great eastern butter
markets over the Great Lakes, the
: air over which is so cool in summer
that injury never comes to butter
and cheese shipped by this route
!, The Northern Pacific Railway Co
owns many thousands of acres o.
land in these counties which is sci
ling on ten years time at the low
price of from three to six dollars
per acre with one-tenth down al