204 BOARD OF AaRICULTURE. 



pound of butter, but in the Northwest the Fairlamb factories, as 

 stated, average rather less than two quarts, and the experience of 

 the Massachusetts factories is that it requires still less, or onh' 

 about 110 cubic inches of cream to make a pound of butter. 



The chief peculiarit}- of the Fairlamb can is the centre-tube for 

 centre-cooling. An examination of the can will show its construc- 

 tion and operation. It does best set in water, and home-made tanks 

 are genei'allj used. In the operation of a cream-gatlierhig factory 

 the patrons, or farmers contributing the cream, need cans enough 

 for three milkings, and every dairy should have some of the small 

 size. The cans and tank for cooling are all that the patrons have 

 to provide at home, and where the Fairlamb cans have been 

 adopted, the cost of the "outfit" has been from 82.00 to §2.50 

 per cow. 



The operation of this system of cooperative butter-making is as 

 follows : The factory being ready and the patrons provided with 

 cans, the milk on every farm is strained into the cans ; they are set 

 in the cooling tanks, the cover is left off till the temperature of the 

 milk falls to about 60° F., and then the covers are put on and the 

 owners have nothing more to do with the milk until after the cream 

 has been removed. Everj' day one or more agents of the factory, 

 called gatherers, start out on fixed rounds ; each has his horse and 

 wagon, large cream cans, cream pails and skimmer. Passing from 

 farm to farm the gatherer stops at each one, measures the depth of 

 cream on the cans of milk as the}' stand undisturbed, doing this in 

 the presence of the owner if desired, credits the latter with so man}' 

 inches of cream, then skims and takes away the cream, leaving the 

 milk standing in the cans. The gatherer then passes to the next 

 farm and so on through his circuit back to the factory. Tliis round 

 is made but once daily, or perhaps two shorter routes, each occupv- 

 ing but a half day. Thus at each farm the gatherer skims two 

 milkings. In summer he would generally skim both settings of the 

 day previous, and in winter he might do this on his afternoon route, 

 but on that of the forenoon, if on Wednesday, for example, he 

 would skim the milk of milkings of Monday night and Tuesday 

 morning. ( In this case the farmer would have to provide cans 

 for four milkings.) One man can drive from lo to 20 miles per 

 day, and gather the cream from 125 to 200 cows; the more com- 

 pact his route, the more economical the service. The usual pa}' for 

 a gatherer furnishing his own horse and wagon, is $2.50 per day, 



