The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-22

semble immense high-heeled bathtubs)
which receive the butter cream after it
has been pasteurizec. Otto is careful
that the cream be ripened to the cor
rect temperature-while he sings
grand opera selections-and skilfully
uses his thermometer. From the
ripeners the cream goes into the
enormous churns, which are not the
least bit like the original churn.
The modern Creamery churns are
tank-like affairs about ten feet long
and several feet in diameter, arranged
horizontally with two large openings
in the side-tops for removing the
churned butter. There are ten such
churns in the Beatrice creamery.
About as interesting and valuable
as gold mine is the soOpound
mound of butter one cEurn is able to
turn out in less than an hour. The
high mound of golden yellow is beau
tiful to look upon and "a child might
have ting time making but
ter castle of it-while more practical
sight and would not object to captur-
ing as much as they could carry for
the family larder-for butter scotch
pie joys perhaps-or the rare pleasure
OF spreading it on an inch thick
After the butter leaves the churns,
it passes into the hands of deft and
swift workers, both girls and men.
The men, using the pinch block" an
accurate pound measure, mould the
butter into the oblong shapes, while
the girls wrap it in paraffin paper.
Don't you get tired of looking at
butter?" was asked of one of the girl
workers, who faces the butter noun
tain all day long.
Knows 1t Is Clean Now.
well. yes. a little" she said.
Somehow when I see butter on the
table at home l don't care to have any
of it,"
Maybe you feel that way about
butter but 1 don't" chimed in a man
who works with the pinch block all
day. I've eaten more butter since
I've been here than 1 did before-be-
cause before 1 wondered sometimes if
it was clean stuff-and now I know it
is clean like it better'n ever"
Strange to say, there are more than
a hundred men who are employed at
the creamery, and only about fifty
girls, showing that the care of milk
and butter is not wholly woman's work
as might be supposed.
The most wonderful scenery of the
butter factory, however, is the butter
wrapping machine One end of the
machine receives a piece of flat,
Queerly cut pasteboard. 1t passes down
a little chute in the machine, whefe by
several mechanical jabs and punches
it is folded into box for the butter,
which, freshly wrapped in paraffin
paper, is placed in the boxes An un-
canny little mechanical arm in the
machine folds down the top of the
butter box and it slips into another
cog of machinery, where it is envel-
oped in the brilliant yellow Meadow
Gold" cover, and two industrious little
mechanical arms on opposite sides of
the machine paste the familiar red la
bells on the end of the package-and
behold the finished product is ready
for consumption.
Thru this intricate process there
come an average of $4,000 pounds of
butter in eight hours. to which $4,000
Kansas farmers contribute by ship
ping butter cream to be poured into
the watts"
Working at the creamery has its So
cial pleasures, for dancing, picnicking
and banqueting are all on the years
calendar for employees at the expense
Of the firm And 1t is understood
that financial returEs from the work
are not to be corned-for the endur-
ance and skill of the butter workers
are recognized by pay that is larger
than that offered in working places
where desks are mahogany and where
there is no suggestion of anything SO
greasy as butter.