The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-07-12
Garland Cheese Factory.

cross-road OF the rural communities
have revolutionized the business of
farming in the past few years. Ten
years ago, for instance, there were
several times as many acres planted
to wheat in Shiawassee county as
there are today. 1t is just as profita-
BILE to raise wheat, but the acreage
is now turned into hay or pasturage,
for despite the money in wheat, there
is more money in selling the milk to
20 the cheese factories, and much
better for tho farms.
There are cheese factories at Bur
ton, Elsie, Garland, Chaplin and Fen
more, across in Saginaw county not
to mention those which are compar-
atively nearby. An examination of
the methods and business of one of
these factories gives an insight into
their Importance to the farmer.
The Garland Cheese Company's
factory, like all other factories, is
cooperative. The farmer delivers
his milk at the factory and the COM
pany makes and sells the cheese, re-
taining fixed charges for its labor,
and distributing the balance of mon
ey received among its patrons once
each month, the selling price of
cheese governing the amount paid
per hundred weight to the patrons.
The Garland factory has about rs
patrons, who haul milk seven morn
ings in the week from a radius of
perhaps five miles each way. For
three hours in the morning, while
the milk is being brought in, tested,
weighed and turned into the watts,
Garland is buster than towns thrice
it's size. 1t is especially busy once
each month, on payday, when the
farmers, instead of sending their
hired men, come in themselves to
get their checks, and linger to do a
little trading. At the last pay-time,
the patrons received $1.05 per humid
red for the milk they had delivered.
When it is known that 10000
pounds of milk is delivered at the
factories, equivalent to an expendi-
ture on the part of the factories of
500 every day in the month, it will
be seen that a cheese factory is
valuable asset.
The force of competition makes
the cheese factories deal honestly
with its patrons. The farmers have
a contract with it, but this they can
nullify at any time if they are dis
satisfied with their treatment, and
deliver milk to the next factory with
out becoming legally liable. The
Babcock test applied to every can
of milk brought in, keeps the farm
er honest with the factory, the test
making it impossible for him to get
more for his milk than it is actually
worth.
The officers of the Garland Cheese
Company are B. w. Doyle, of Elsie,
president: A.. f. shannon, treasurer;
and j. B. Lewis, secretary. The
cheese makers are r. E. Kirby and
Robert Shannon. The factory is
very successful and has been so since
it's inception four years ago. The
demand for cheese seems to be on
the increase so fast that it is simply
impossible to fill orders, The GUS
toners of the Garland company are
scattered from Duluth on the north
to New Orleans on the south.
The process of cheese-making is
interesting. The milk runs from the
receiving platform through tubes to
the two big watts, which are steam
heated. Rennet is added to the
cooking milk, which causes it to
curdle, but the curd is broken up
with wooden rakes until the cooking
process is thorough. Then the soft
cheese is placed in molds lined with
thin cloth, and after the cheeses are
pressed into shape they are set away
to ripen. The Garland factory turns
out from % to 80 cheeses a day. A
cheese takes about thirty days to
ripen.
Butter factories are located in
Owosso, Henderson and Oakley, but
the cheese patrons believe there is
more money in cheese making.
1t takes ten pounds Of milk to
make one pound Of cheese, while
rs pounds of milk are required to
make one of butter. Cheese in sum-
mer sells from IL to 13 cents, and
butter is generally four or five cents
higher, so it would seem according
to these figures that the cheese men
have. the best of the argument. An
other thing to the advantage of
cheese: 1t will keep indefinitely,
and butter, without elaborate coldl
storage facilities, spoils in a short
time.
Besides being more profitable
than many other kinds of farming,
the keeping of cattle as a specially
is easier and more pleasant. 1t is an
actual fact that most cheese facto-
tory patrons sell all the milk they get
except enough for table use, buying
their butter just like city people. !
This is because of the saving in
money, and also in labor, as the
breaking work of churning is
done away with.
A. E. Shannon, who may be con-
sidered the moving spirit of the |
cheese-factory, lived In this city for
a few years, but has long consider
ed Garland his home. Twenty-Five |
Vparc aOn Whf1n u,hiIA oot;n~