The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-10

the milk to the factory. Other proprietary
factories purchase the butter fat In the
milk or cream, paying for it what the
market will warrant" to use the words OF
one OF these owners. However, a more
definite understanding than this is usually
required, and many Of these factories
agree to pay a price for the butter fat,
which will be 21s cents below the highest
market quotations for creamery butter
during the time the butter fatis delivered
The use of the Babcock test for deter
mining the value of milk and cream is
universal among the factories Of the state.
No other basis of computation was used
at any OF the seVentyOne factories visited
by the writer about year ago. This was
very pleasing bit of information, indicat-
Ing that Oregon dalrymen, both producers
and manufacturers, were thoroughly up to
date in this respect. It is doubtful if any
other state can show such a general use
Of the Babcock test. In Iowa, for in
stance, the report of the dairy commits
siOner for the year 1899 shows that IL per
cent of the creameries and 60 per cent
Of the cheese factories in that state still
purchase milk on the old unjust and unfair
basis of so much per hundred weight, re-
CARELESS Of quality.
Dairy Statistics.
Owing to the fact that only within the
past year has the dairy commissioners
office been put in condition to collect reli-
able figures relating to the dairy industry,
there have been widely varying estimates
of the annual output Of dairy products:
For the purpose of securing accurate in
formation regarding the operation of the
creameries and cheese factories Of the
state, Professor f. L. Kent of the state
agricultural college spent the greater part
of the. months of July and August, 1900,
among the factories of the western portion
of the state. Owing to the small number
of factories in the eastern part of the
state and their scattered location, no at
tempt was made to visit them, although
reports were secured in some cases.
Seventy one factories in all were visited,
and in addition considerable number Of
private diaries. Seventeen of the II
factories were establishd during the
year 1900, hence a statement Of full
years business could not be obtained from
them. OF the remainder but two were es-
tablishd prior to the year 1892, which
year marked the establishment of both
butter and cheese factories in the coast
counties of Tillamook and Coos, as we'll
as considerable number in the William
cite valley. Of these early factories,
those in the coast regions have continued
in operation ever since, but most of those
In the Willamette valley are idle, and
stand as monuments to the ability of the
creamery shark who fourished about that
time in various parts of the United States.
Some of these early established factories
represent an investment of IS. 900 to SO, 900,
being equipped for the manufacture of
both butter and cheese. But those being
built during 1900, and for butter making
only, report the cost at about 81 100, with
an equipment sufficient to handle the milk
frora 800 to 400 COWS.
The cost of establishing a cheese factory
alone, as given by P. Mcintosh, of TilIa-
nook, who owns five such factories, is
placed at about $500 for the building and
$500 for equipment, making the cost COM
plete about $1,000. There are no better
cheese factories in the state than those
owned by Mr.. Mcintosh, but while we'll
built, they are not at all snowy. indicat-
ing that the money has been judiciouslv
expended.
The 81 factories from which statements
OF full years operations were obtained
comprise practically all of the creameries
operating In the western part of the state
during the year 1899. This of course does
not include the private dairies which han
die only the milk produced on the owners
farm. The amount of butter and cheese
produced together with other particulars
felatlng to these 81 factories is set forth
| in the following table: r
Pounds milk received 3e. s74 40,
Pounds butter fat received in milk. L 40 521
ROUNDS putter rat received in cream. .. 800. 030
LOO l.lS4
Pounds cheese made 115 az
Iald 10 patrons Observation-Disclosures. II & aO5
.5o pei cent LAT III milk. ....... 3.99
average wages butter-makers, month"; S61 "a
. wages cneese makers month. IS. 60
average wages skim station OPERATORS 4OO)
Average price per pound for butter fat 22,sc
From the above figures, and from other
information the writer is of the opinion
that the total output of creamery butter
Tor the whole state, even including that
made on farms from separator cream
(Which Is commonly called creamery but
ter) was not far from 2, 500, 900 pounds for
| the year 1899. In California and some
other states careful estimates show that
about one half of the entire butter pro-
uct TOR the year was factory made. If we
use this basis of computation for Oregon
the entire production of the state for the
year 1899 would be about 5000 900 pounds
While these figures are for the dairy bust
ness for two years, they furnish a reliable
basis for making close estimates on the
production for the year 1901. In
Washington county the creameries report
practically no increase in business for 1901
over 1899 but the cream shippers have
nearly doubled the quantity sent to Port
land. Reports from creameries in the
coast region, the southern part of the
state, and on the Columbia river Indicate
an increase in product of about 20 per
cent. The creameries established during
the past two years would perhaps increase
the amount of factory made butter, an
additional 20 per cent. Hence the writer
feels justified in placing the production of
creamery butter for 1901 at an increase OF
40 per cent over that Of 1899, thus making
the amount 100000 pounds. 1t is doubt.