312 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



actually gone out of business because of their failure to check 

 up the over-run as should have been done. At the same time 

 these creameries apparently had as good management as the 

 average. On the other hand, I know of creameries which have 

 increased the prices paid for butter fat as much as three cents 

 per pound, while the butter sold for the same price. 



FUEL V^ASTE. 



The over-run is a good indication of the loss of butter fat in 

 creameries, but there are other losses which cannot be detected 

 in this way. In such cases the manager must depend on other 

 means for detecting them. One source of waste in creameries 

 which has been given too little consideration in the past is in 

 the fuel. Special reports from creameries show that the cost 

 of fuel per pound of butter manufactured is four times as great 

 in some creameries as it is in others where the amount of 

 business done and the methods employed are similar. 



There are many causes for this waste, the principal among 

 which may be enumerated as follows : The boiler and engine 

 being of improper size or improperly installed ; the furnace not 

 suited to the fuel used ; poor draft ; grate area in furnace not 

 properly porportioned ; the chimney not properly proportioned ; 

 coal w^asted in handling ; coal lost in ashes ; coal lost in incom- 

 plete combustion ; heat lost in radiation ; heat lost in the cream- 

 ery; heat lost because of air leaks in setting and furnace; heat 

 lost by excess air drawn through grate ; heat lost by short-cir- 

 cuiting of gases; heat lost by soot on heating surface; heat lost 

 by scale in boiler ; heat lost by feeding cold water to boiler ; 

 heat lost by leakage of water and steam ; heat lost in exhaust 

 steam ; heat lost through worn valves and piston rings ; heat 

 lost by keeping high steam pressure on boiler when not in use ; 

 heat lost in systematizing the operation of the plant. While 

 the quantity of fuel for making one pound of butter is small 

 we can readily see that w^here one-third of a cent a pound is 

 actually wasted, which is frequently the case, the aggregate loss 

 for a year will be an item worth considering. On this basis a 

 creamery making 150,000 pounds of butter a year will lose 

 $500. Mechanical engineers tell us that where exhaust steam 

 is used for heating purposes there is practically no cost for the 



