18 HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 



Later Development of the Butter Industry. 1 During the 

 Middle Ages the making and use of butter in the old world 

 gradually increased, but the primitive equipment and methods 

 available and the absence of the helping hand of science pre- 

 cluded rapid strides in the development of this now great 

 industry. At the close of the 18th and beginning of the 19th 

 century, the construction of creaming and buttermaking equip- 

 ment, other than that made of wood, was beginning to be con- 

 sidered and the barrel churn had made its entrance into the 

 field of buttermaking. And, after the middle of the 19th cen- 

 tury, the creaming in ice water or other cold water was strongly 

 advocated. 



Up to the middle of the 19th century the factory system of 

 buttermaking was practically unknown and both, in this country 

 and abroad, buttermaking was confined to the farm dairy. 

 From that time on, however, the manner of making butter 

 underwent marked changes, gradually at first, and more rapidly 

 as the advantages of co-operative and community methods of 

 operation became more and more appreciated and the inven- 

 tion of new devices and improved processes were introduced. 



In many sections of this country, especially in the Middle 

 West, the "pooling" system of buttermaking became popular. 

 In this system numerous farmers took their milk to a small 

 creamery where it was set in shipping cans, or other deep- 

 setting cans, in cold water and on the following day w r as 

 skimmed by the operator and made into butter. The returns 

 from the butter, after deducting the cost of making, shipping 

 and selling, were divided among the farmers on the basis of 

 the pounds of milk delivered. 



Simultaneous with the advent of this system the gathered 

 cream system also developed and became very popular. The 



1 It is not the purpose of this volume to discuss the history and development 

 of the butter industry in the several butter-producing countries of the world. 

 For detailed historic information the reader is referred to treatise especially 

 devoted to this subject. A very interesting and extensive publication dealing 

 with the world history of Dairying is the publication entitled "Allgemeine 

 Geschichte der Milchwirtschaft, by F. Anderegg, Bern, Switzerland, 1894. The 

 brief references to development of the butter industry given here have for their 

 purpose more especially to point out the leading factors which were instru- 

 mental in the direction and extent of development which this important 

 product has attained in the United States, and its possibilities for growth in 

 the future. 



