Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-01-16
High Class Product, Good Prices.

Il
F. L. Tibbetts of Ripley, Me-, has
made Q fine art of cheese making, and
the quality of his product is such that 1t
is almost impossible to fill the demand
for cheese made at Brooklet Valley
Farm. The business end Of cheese max
ing Is growing more satisfactory ell the
time. At least half of the cheese made
is sold direct to the consumer. For the
year ended July 81 last Mr.. Tibbetts
marketed from thirteen Holstein cows
products to the value of 81, $50 above the
cost of their grain, roughage and past
ure.
When Mr.. Tibbetts and his wife start
ed in making cheese 10 cents pound
was considered high price. In the last
seven years he has more than doubled
that price and greatly increased his out
put, owing to the care taken In every
step OF the work. Mrs. Tibbetts learned
the art of cheese making from her
mother iu-law, who turned out the usual
twenty pound size. Hoping to secure
better market than the local stores, she
shifted to flve-pound size, which has
become the standard. Displaying some
of the cheese at meeting Of the State
Dairy Association, it received first prize.
This proved a fine advertisement, and
since then Brooklet Valley cheese has
been shown at all the big fairs in the
state.
Soon after receiving this prize Mr..
Tibbetts began putting labels on all the
cheese sent out. Orders came In direct
in increasing numbers until the supply
was exhausted. In the following years
he gradually increased the price of his
cheese, until this year the seventy. five
cheeses taken to the Waterville fair and
the eighty-five to the Lewiston fair sold
at 25 cents pound. Mr.. Tibbetts has
filed many orders for cheese In Florida,
South Carolina, New York, Canada and
the District of Columbia.
Mrs. Tibbetts's method of making
cheese is unusual, chiefly in the great
care taken to keep the milk pure 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, is allowed
to stand some forty minutes after cut
ting and 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 meanwhile. The
curd is then put from the drainers into
the tank and there soalded with water
heated to 1876 degrees. This is allowed
to stand until cool, in order to retain all
the butter fat. The curd is then drained
again, run through the grinder, salted
four tablespoonfuls to every seven
pounds and finally put into hoops.
These are put in the press, to remain till
next day. From there they 60 to the
cheese room, to be creased daily until
sold. Extreme cleanliness at all stages
of the process gives product for which
discriminating customers willingly pay
good bonus over ordinary retail prices.
The cheese making season extends
usually from March 20 to October 20.
The average output Is about forty
pounds of cheese day. To keep up
this business Mr.. Tibbetts keeps herd
of twenty cows, all but three of which
are of his own breeding, and about the
same number Is kept In milk all the
time. These cows are heavy producers,
as Mr.. Tibbetts makes . practice OF
weighing the milk from each COW night
and morning and keeps only those that
are up to his standard. During the
winter months the whole milk Is ship.
ped to Boston. His best cow last year
returned 1892 worth of milk moro than
the cost of her feed. and one heifer
freshening at thirty months, gave 8, AS
pounds. Together with cheese making,
Mr.. Tibbetts grows several acres OF
sweet corn for the factory, has pro-
ductive orchard of 500 trees and markets
ten or dozen hogs each fall. All things
considered, Brooklet Valley Farm is one
of the remarkable dairy farms Of Central
Maine.-John E. Taylor, Skowhegan,
Me-, in Tribune Farmer.