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VOLUME XXXVII.—No. 2. NEW YORK, FEBRUARY, 1878. NEW SERIES—No. 373. 
A VERMONT CHEESE FACTORY. — Drawn and Engraved for the American Agriculturist. 
Upon subsequent pages, we have quite liberally 
illustrated the internal arrangement, and the appli¬ 
ances of a cheese factory, and to complete the se¬ 
ries, we give above an engraving showing the exte¬ 
rior of a Vermont Factory, from a sketch by an ar¬ 
tist of that State. The introduction of the factory 
system into a farming neighborhood, not only quite 
changes the mechanical operations of the dairy, but 
has a marked effect socially, upon the farmers 
themselves, and their families. Under the old sys¬ 
tem each worked by himself, in his own way, with 
hut little reference to what his neighbors were do¬ 
ing, and rarely comparing his results with those of 
others. The factory changes all this, and by at 
once establishing a common interest, creates a com¬ 
munity of thought and feeling; it becomes abso¬ 
lutely necessary that the neighbors should meet 
and discuss, to compare methods and ask advice ; 
it leads to reading, and a general increase of intel¬ 
ligence and mental activity. In those States in 
which dairying is an important branch of farming, 
there are already Associations of Dairymen, who 
-hold annual conventions, which are often attended 
by their wives and daughters. It is no disparage¬ 
ment to other similar gatherings, to say that we 
have never seen a gathering of farmers any where 
that seemed to be more thoroughly respectable, in¬ 
telligent, or manifested more interest in the mat¬ 
ters before them, than those we met at a meeting 
of the Vermont Dairymen’s Association. The fac¬ 
tory system divides the business of dairying into 
two important branches, viz : The production of 
milk, and the making of cheese, and each presents 
numerous subjects for consideration, which require 
accurate practical and scientific knowledge in dis¬ 
cussing them. The annual conventions, held in va¬ 
rious parts of the country, at which all the topics 
related to both branches of the business are thor¬ 
oughly discussed, have already produced excellent 
results, manifested in increased profits, and a con¬ 
siderable improvement in the quality of the pro¬ 
ducts. At these meetings the addresses and dis¬ 
cussions are in part by farmers and factorymen 
themselves, and in part by teachers of scientific ag¬ 
riculture and chemistry. But besides these annual 
conventions, there ere all over the country, and of 
daily occurrence, informal meetings, the discus¬ 
sions at which have an important influence upon 
the business of dairying. Such an informal dairy¬ 
man’s meeting is suggested in the engraving ; the 
farmers who daily supply milk to the factory, meet 
there in small groups. On such occasions the 
talk isof the business in which all have an interest, 
and cows, feed, milk, and management are dis¬ 
cussed, hints are given and experience told, and in 
the long run these informal meetings are quite as 
valuable as the larger ones ; indeed, this inter¬ 
course, and mutual instruction, this bringing farm¬ 
ers into frequent contact, is one of the useful inci¬ 
dents growing out of the factory system, and 
which extends its good influence among the farm¬ 
ers to matters other than the dairying. Weights 
and a balance on the right side of the account book 
are convincing arguments, and the farmer who can 
point to a heavy balance in his favor, will find his 
associates ready to leam his method of managing 
his animals. While the cheese factory is profitable 
as an industrial institution, it is at the same tima 
an educational one, that is practical and useful. 
