THE DAIRY FACTORY SYSTEM.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume III, Issue 539, 20 January 1882, Page 2

THE DAIRY FACTORY SYSTEM.

From a paper read by Mr John Church, at the Maheno (North Otago) Public Hall, “On the American Daily Factory System”—we obtain certain facts and figures which should be of exceeding interest to our agricultural readers, as proving that the factory system is the best and most economical mode of producing a uniform quality of butter and cheese, of which the trade-mark, either in the home or colonial market, will be accepted as a sufficient guarantee, a desideratum, by the way, beyond the attainment of the most perfect dairy women working in the old accustomed method. The system of cheese factories was adopted in America in iB6O, and on a very small, scale, one or two farmers, who were experienced cheese-makers, co-operat-ing together to improve the wretched quality of American cheese sent into the market —a similar quality, by the way, may even now be met with in the stores of the Empire City. The humble commencement made in America had extended in 1866 to no less than 500 factories, using the milk of 20,000 cows, the average quantity of cheese to a cow being 2831b5., and value, at rod per lb, eleven pounds sterling per cow per annum. The cheese produced at most of the factories is so uniform in appearance that among ioo,ooolbs. weight even the practical eye could scarcely detect any difference in the manufacture. Thus, with a minimum deduction for unequal or imperfect samples and an assurance of an evenly ! good quality, the top price in the market is always attained, and all the * drudgery and oftentimes unprofitable labor occurring in single dairies is obviated. The same rule holds good in the manufacture of butter.