CHEESE FACTORY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 601, 22 October 1880, Page 2

CHEESE FACTORY.

, To the Editor of the Wairakapa Dailt, Sib,—As there has lately been some ' talk of establishing cheese, factories in 1 this district any remarks upon this subj ject may be of interest to your readers, and may servo to induce those of them 1 who have a more intimate acquaintance with it than the writer to publish their I information for the benefit of our settlers, s If my memory serves me correctly, it is i estimated that 301bs of milk will furnish i material for lib of butter, or for 31b of , cheese; bo that, at the prices now rulin» 1 here, the quantity of milk, if converted [ into cheese, would be worth more than , three times the same quantity converted ' into butter. Nor is the excess of value ■ of the one article over the other the only I advantage, for under the system of cheese factories the labor of the farmer or of his goodwifeends with the milking of the cowa and the setting of the milk-can at | the road gate, there to await the arrival , of the milk-wagon on its daily or bi-daily ! rounds, _ I will now endeavor to give a rough outline of the working of these factories, as carried on on the American continent, both in Canada and in the United States, where they are very numerous. To begin at the beginning When a cheese factory is about to be started, the venture is either undertaken by one or more individuals who are absolute proprietors and purchase from the surrounding settlers at a fixed rate per lb during the season; or by the settlers themselves, banding together, and through a committee of_ management, erecting a factory, engaging a cheese-maker, negotiating sales, and becoming themselvos participathe results, I think the latter case is more usual. The, building itself usually consists of two stories, the ground floor being used for the vats, presses, &c., and the'upper storey serving for a store-room. At any convenient place in the side or end of the building a platform is arranged, at a suitable distance from the ground, where the milk is received from the waggons, and weighed, before being put into the vats, One or more light spring waggons, properly arranged for strapping down the milk cans, are provided, either by the proprietors of the factory or by outsiders willing to contract for carrying at a fixed rate. _ These start on their rounds onoe or twice a day, picking up at the stands of the contributors the full cans, and leaving empty ones in their places to bo re-filled, (Two cans are allotted to each contributor, bearing his initials or brand.) On returning to the factory the cans are taken in at the platform, their contents weighed, and the .number of pounds returned entered to the credit of each contributor, who, at each sale of cheese receives in proportion to the amount of cheese contributed. The expense of management of course depends largely upon the support accorded, but should not exceed from Id to l|d per lb of cheese made. To conclude, I think that this district, composed as it is for the most part of small farms, each carrying a few cows, is eminently adapted for the working of a cheese factory. If these remarks shall cause our settlers to bestir themselves in this matter, and niake cheese factories an accom olished fact, lam sure that that portion of their - households upon which generally de* i volves the genial pastime of churning will ] heap blessings upon'the head of , Yours faithfully, , Rennet, ( Masterton, Oct 21st, 1880. j