The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-10-19
CHEESE MAKING IS
STILL PROFITABLE
Quality Brings Cores
ponding Price
Ripley Dairyman, With Beautiful and
Accomplished Wife, Shows How to
Get Consumers Dollar.

man. com blned WIN the dDllllY VI hi9
better half, TO make a particularly
fine grade OF cheese, enabled f. l..
Tibbetts of Ripley, Me, during the
year ending July 31st last, to market
the dairy products from IL Holstein
COWS for 81 $50 above the cost of their
grain. roughage and pasture. The
COWS we're. to be sure. heavy produc-
ers. but much of the profit was due
to the fact that Mr.. Tibbett gets con-
siderably more than the usual share
of the consumers dollar At least
half of the cheese made is sold to GUS
toners direct.
Cheese has been made at Brooklet
Valley Farm for a great many years,
but until Mr.. Tibbetts became the
proprietor, 10 cents per pound was
considered a high price. In seven
years he has more than doubled that
figure. at the same time greatly in
creasing his output. Meanwhile other
makers in the same vicinity have NOR
or less difficulty in moving their
stock for but a small advance over the
old time price.
Mrs. Tibbetts learned the art OF
cheesemaking from her mother-in-laW,
and for a time used to turn out the
old twenty-pound size. Then with the
idea of seeking a better market than
the local grocery stores, she shifted
the equipment to turn out five pound
cheese. and has thus continued ever
since. For a few months after making
tho change. the cheese was all sold as
before. but late in the season they
took a display to the meeting or the
state Dairy Association. Here they
were awarded first prize, which went
unite a way towards opening their
ewes to the quality of the goods they
were putting out. 1t also attracted
the attention of possible customers
and proved fine advertisement. Since
then cheese from Brooklet Valley
Farm has been shown at every meet
ing of the Dairymen's Association, and
at most Of the State fairs. and with
one exception has invariably taken
first prize.
Immediately after the Pittsfleld eX-
nerience, Mr. Tibbetts began putting
labels on each and every cheese. This
started the orders coming in direct,
which were promptly filled at the re-
tail price. Each order seemed to be
responsible for others until the supply
was quickly exhausted. From then
on there was nothing to do but wait
and make plans for the next year.
These plans included making large
displays at both the Waterville and
Lewiston fairs Here the prizes won
paid practically all of the expenses.
while the cheese was readily sold for
livery after the fair, to customer
that otherwise might never have been
found. Each year since then they
have gradually raised the price and
made larger displays. This season 70
cheeses were taken to Waterville fair
and IS to Lewiston, where they all
sold like hot cakes at % cents per
mound. Through the tourist and
summer visitors thus encountered.
Mr.. Tibbetts has sold cheese for ship
ment to Florida, South Carolina,
New York. Vermont, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Washington, Canada
District of Columbia and all parts OF
Maine.
The Tibbetts herd consists of twenty
COWS in milk, all but three of which
are of his own breeding. Owing to
the hired help problem 1t is planned I"
keep about the same number in milk
right along, and during the cold
weather the whole milk Is sold for
shipment to Boston. The market dur
ing the winter is fairly remunerative
for Holstein milk, so the cheese max
ings is from about March 2oth 10
October goth. The average output
runs around 10 pounds Of cheese per
day. Mr.. Tibbetts also grows several
acres of sweet corn for the factory
has a productive orchard of 500 trees,
and finishes ten or a dozen hogs for
market each fall in addition.
There is very little unusual about
Mrs. Tibbett's process for making
cheese, except the scrupulous care
taken to keep the milk clean from the
moment it is drawn. The rennet is
added to the nights milk while warm
and after standing half an hour the
curd is cut into cubes. The mornings
milk is handled in the same way, and
aftA, standing some forty minutes
after cutting, is then mixed with the
previous nights. The entire batch of
curd then stands for three hours to
drain, being cut four or five times
The curd Is then put
from the drainers back into the tank,
and there scalded with water heated