The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-22

The resignation of Mr.. Jensen as
president of the Continental company
comes as a surprise to Topekans as
does his determination to leave Topeka
which has been the scene of his great
est success, the organization of the
creamery which is the largest in the
world. Mr.. Jensen came to Topeka in
1900 from Beloit Kansas, where he was
engaged in the creamery business to
become general manager of the Con-
tinental Creamery company.
This company was formed by the
consolidation of a number of the small
er creameries of the state, including
the company at Beloit, of which Mr.
Jensen was the president; The Kansas
Creamery company: The Brant and
Essley company of Canton; The Enter
prise company and the George w. Han
ma Creamery company of Clay Center,
which had operated under the skim
ming station plan in general use in
Kansas at that time.
At the time of the consolidation of
the plants there was a small creamery
operating in Topeka under the man
agement of J. E. Nissley and the name
was retained for the consolidated sta
tions. John S. Sparks succeeded J. E.
Nissley as president of this organiZa-
tion after the first year and year
later he disposed of his interests and
General Manager Jensen became pres
ident of the organization.
The company proSpered from the day
that Mr.. Jensen became identified with
its management and has grown to be
the largest plant of it's kind in the
world, shipping it's products to every
quarter of the globe. When the Con-
tinental Creamery company opened for
business after the consolidation in To-
peka in 1900 it had buying list of 100
stations in Kansas which shipped
cream and butter fat to the parent
plant in Topeka.
TO lad RI ha, thoir
cream and milk to the station every
day of the year, rain or shine and it
was uphill work keeping them inter
ested. Mr.. Jensen was the first cream
to conceive the adaptibility of the hand
separator and cream shipping system
in the west which has since that time
come into universally use in all parts
of hte United States.
This plan made it possible for every
farmer to purchase a hand separator
and run his own skimming station, the
milk and refuse of a creamery being
kept on the farm where it was fed to
his hogs. This system did away with
the hauling of a number of milk cans
to the depot each day and the trip
was made in a buggy with a can of
cream in place of with numerous cans
of milk.
At the present time the Continental
Creamery company maintains 500
hauls its cream to Topeka in special
express trains of refrigerator cars from
long distances and manufactures 10-
0O0,0 pounds of butter annually which
finds a market in all parts of the
world. This amount of butter repre-
sents about one-fourth of the state s
total butter product.
In making this quantity of butter the
Continental Creamery company paws
annually to the farmers of Kansas an
proximately 81 900, 900 for the raw ma
terial. This means that the company
has maintained an average price OF
nearly 25 cents a pound for butter fat
In making this immense purchase OF
butter making material the Continen-
tai Creamery company has made To-
peka one of the most important dairy
markets in the country, besides send
ing the name of Topeka made products
to every civilized country on the globe
Since the Continental Creamery
company began business In Topeka in
1900, the amount of butter made bv
the creameries in Kansas has doubled
According to the report of Secretary
Cohurn the product for 1900 amounted
to 37,213,92S pounds, valued at s4.-
585,271, while for 1906, the last wear
that figures are obtainable the state
made 43,37S,171 pounds for which the
producers received $S,1S3,665.
At one time the Continental Cream
ery company had a contracr with the