NEW YORK, DECEMBER 27, 1902 
81 PER YEAR 
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THE STORY OF A MAMMOTH CREAMERY. 
FORTY-FOUR TONS OF MILK PER DAY. 
Complete System in a Great Enterprise. 
CREAMERY EXPANSION.—Progress in almost all 
departments of industry is very rapid these days, and 
I am not sure but what this fact is as well exemplified 
in the creamery business as in any line. Certain it 
is that the description of the creamery at Bainbridge, 
N. Y., given in The R. N.-Y. about three years ago, 
in no way gives an adequate idea either of the meth¬ 
ods or the magnitude of that industry at the present 
time. Then we spoke of handling 13 tons of milk in 
a day; now we are able to mention a day’s work last 
June when nearly 44 tons were received and manufac¬ 
tured, all of which was one day’s production. This 
does not indicate that dairymen are keeping more 
cows or that they are materially increasing the pro¬ 
duction per cow, but that 
the creamery influence 
is reaching out further 
and attracting a wider 
patronage. C. C. Hovey, 
the builder of this en¬ 
terprise, was the pro¬ 
prietor and manager un¬ 
til last Spring, when im¬ 
portant changes were 
made. A stock company 
was formed with direc¬ 
tors in several States, 
and Mr. Hovey withdrew 
from the business. His 
son, W. W. Hovey, who 
since coming to the age 
of 14, has been identified 
with the various depart¬ 
ments of the creamery, 
was promoted to the po¬ 
sition of manager. Un¬ 
der his efficient control, 
ana with increased capi¬ 
tal, the business has 
been extended fully one- 
third the past Summer. 
It is no small matter to 
mention, that so exten¬ 
sive an enterprise is un¬ 
der the management of a 
young man of 23. 
DISPOSAL OF PRO- 
DU C T. — Problems in 
the creamery business 
are many. Cows persist 
in giving more milk in 
Summer than in Winter, 
but customers’ appetites 
are quite as keen in Win¬ 
ter. Properly to adjust matters to these two factors 
in the conditions, and still pay living prices to the 
farmers, requires both good judgment and a thorough 
knowledge of all details. Three years ago the aim 
was to build up and hold a choice trade in print but¬ 
ter. Now the cream trade appears to be the direction 
from which to catch the cream of profits, without, 
however, losing any grip upon the butter trade. Add 
to this the constant effort profitably to dispose of the 
skim-milk and you have an outline of what is being 
done. Casein or dried curd from skim-milk, properly 
prepared, is now commonly recognized as a stock 
commodity in the manufacture of paper, and enor¬ 
mous quantities of it are sold for that purpose. For¬ 
merly skim-milk at the Bainbridge creamery was al¬ 
most wholly turned to this use, and whenever pre¬ 
ferable to do so, it is still; but of late a trade has 
been built up in certain fancy cheeses, which has 
proved very successful. Several kinds of cheese are 
made, but baker’s cheese and Italian are in best de¬ 
mand. Although one hundred or more 40-quart cans 
of baker’s cheese are shipped daily, the demand is 
much in excess of this supply. As regards Italian 
cheese, it is something new in these parts, and I have 
learned but little about it. It seems to be creating 
for itself a brisk demand at a price profitable to the 
manufacturer. Two Italians who have had long ex¬ 
perience in cheese making in Italy are employed. 
They turn out the cheese in strict accordance with 
the methods of their native country, and that requires 
a large amount of hand labor. They seem to depend 
much upon their judgment in the process of making 
the cheese. The by-product from cheese making or 
from casein is, of course, whey, a commodity which 
usually has but little value. Here it is turned over 
to the National Milk Sugar Co., which has a labora¬ 
tory near by, and from it sugar of milk is made. 
HANDLING THE MILK.—If now we go back to 
the receiving platform we shall see the milk inspect¬ 
ed, sampled, measured, dumped into the receiving 
vat, the cans and can covers washed, steamed and de¬ 
livered at the side door sometimes at the rate of 10 
to 12 a minute. While it is true that a good deal of 
intelligent labor is required in every department, ma¬ 
chinery is used whenever possible. Pumps raise the 
milk from the receiving vat, sending it through a ma¬ 
chine for Pasteurizing at a moderate temperature, and 
thence on to the separators. There are four of these 
machines, capable together of separating 14,000 
pounds of milk per hour. Cream flows directly from 
the separators to another Pasteurizer, while the skim- 
milk disappears through a hole in the cement floor, 
where by means of pipes it is conveyed along its 
course. Other pumps elevate it to vats for cheese¬ 
making or to be coagulated for casein. The whey 
now disappears beneath the floor and a pump elevates 
it and sends it to the milk-sugar factory, some dis¬ 
tance away. The buildings are shown at Fig. 348. 
HOW THE CREAM IS TREATED—Let us go back 
now to the separators that are humming away so 
merrily, making 6,600 revolutions per minute, and 
trace the journey which the cream makes. The Pas¬ 
teurizer raises the temperature to 165 degrees Fahr¬ 
enheit, which is supposed to be sufficient to kill all 
germs that may be in the cream. The previous par¬ 
tial Pasteurization of the milk is for the purpose of 
destroying a portion of the bacteria without too much 
heating, and is thought to benefit the milk for cheese 
making. The double process prolongs the period of 
Pasteurization, thereby making it more effective with¬ 
out raising the temperature so far as to affect the 
flavor injuriously. Possibly a layman may be allow- 
lowed to trespass upon 
the grounds of the scien¬ 
tist long enough to bring 
away this statement: 
Milk in the condition in 
which it is delivered to a 
creamery contains sev¬ 
eral hundred thousand 
bacterial germs per cubic 
inch. The scientist has¬ 
tens to explain that 
these bacteria are not 
usually injurious, but 
that they promote 
changes in cream which 
it is desirable to retard, 
therefore an attempt is 
made to destroy them. 
After heating the cream 
is made to flow over coils 
of pipe containing cold 
water, which process 
cools it. The portion of 
cream that is to be ship¬ 
ped flows directly into 
cans, and is taken at 
once to ice-water vats, 
where the temperature is 
reduced to about 35 de¬ 
grees. When time for 
shipment the cans are 
jacketed with heavy pad¬ 
ding and started for the 
city. That portion from 
which butter is to be 
made is pumped to the 
second story, into the 
several Farrington cream 
ripeners. These are 
large cylindrical vats 
suspended horizontally. Each has a system of pipes, 
and steam, hot water and cold water are always at 
hand, so that any desired temperature can be quickly 
secured. The ripeners are rotated by power, the prop¬ 
er temperature is secured, and the ripening process 
is soon hastened along. A “starter” was added to the 
cream when first it entered the vats. Its purpose is 
to start the cream on the ripening process. It is in¬ 
teresting to note that a fine flavor in butter is brought 
out by the development in cream of certain kinds of 
vegetable organisms, and these kinds are the ones in¬ 
troduced with the “starter” to take the place of those 
killed by Pasteurization. Two or three times during 
the ripening the acid test is applied, and when it is 
found that .30 to .40 per cent of acid has developed, 
faucets are turned and the temperature is brought 
down to 48 or 50 degrees, which practically ends the 
ripening process. 
