GERALDINE DAIRY FACTORY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1512, 13 November 1886, Page 3

GERALDINE DAIRY FACTORY.

[Bt Oca Rbtobtib.] The above factory is now working. few days ago, io company with the Seceretary, Mr W. Coltn&an, 1 paid « visit to it and was shown over it by Mr Qordge, the manager, Mr Qordge has had long experience in dairy factories and the work he has done so far has given great satisfaction. He lives with his wife in a comfortable five-roomed cottage in the immediate vicinity of the factory. The factory buildings are pleasantly situated at the junction of the Pleasant Valley and Kakahu roads. The factory itself is built of local blue atone, faced with the white stone procured at Fakahu, and forms quite a feature iu the district. There are about 20 acres of land belonging to the company upon which the buildings stand. Access is obtained to the grounds by two gates leading to the Kakahu and Pleasant Valley roada respectively. A stuil part of this land is fenced off with a substantial pig-proof fence, and the remainder is used as a pig run. The company are now feeding about 90 pigs, but in the busy season they sometimes have as many as two hundred of them. The pigs are provided with comfortable styes and shelter sheds and fatten excellently on the whey. The price paid for the milk at present is B}d per gallon, which is a source of steady income to a large number in the district, during the time it is in operation. One of the first things that strike one on entering the factory is 'the scrupulous clealiness of everything. At an early hour in the morning all is bnstle at the factory. The various supplies of milk commence to arrive shortly before seven, and continue to do so for about an hour and a-balf. As each man has to take bis tarn to deliver his milk ia the order in which he arrives, there is a kind of rivalry among the milk boys as to wbo shall be first at the factory with his milk. The floor of the receiving shed is raised to about three feet from the ground, to allow of the large cans of milk being lifted out of the trape with ease. In this shed the scales are placed, and each man’s milk is weighed, eleven pounds being taken as a gallon. Ia the shed, too, are several testing glasses for sampling the milk. A glass-full of the milk is taken out of the cane and allowed to stand for a few hoars, when the percentage of cream to the milk is shown by the figures marked upon the glass. Here, too, in warm weather tbe milk is sometimes tested as to its sweetness. This is done by means of litmus paper. The paper itself is of a blue color, and when dipped into tbe milk immediately turns red if there is the slightest tendency io acidity. There is often a wide difference in the amount of cieam contained in the milk, some yielding as high as eighteen per cent, and some es low as eight, It is found that the Ayrshire and Devon breeds of cattle produce tbe richest milk. As the milk is received and passed at the receiving shed it is put into a large tin, to which a pipe is attached, which carries it into one of the three large vats that stand in the milk room. This is a lofty well ventilated room, deliciously cool in warm weather. The three vats io this room are capable of holding 450 gallons of milk. They stand upon low wheels, and are made of sheet iron and wood lined with tin. Between the outer iron casing and the inner one of tin there is a space in which pipes are placed for the purpose of heating the vats to the required beat by means of steam. This space can also be filled with water when it is required to cool the vats. Into these vats the milk goes, then the coloring and rennet is added, and the milk is kept moving for the purpose of thoroughly mixing it with-the rennet, etc. It is then heated by means of tbe aforesaid steam pipes to about 84 deg, fabr., tbe temperature varying with tbe weather, and being increased 3 deg. when the weather ia coolWhen thoroughly mixed it is allowed to stand for about three-quarters of an hour, by which time it thiekens into curd. It is then nut with what is known as a “ breaker ” into small particles about the size of a pea. This operation is performed by manual labor, and takes about ha)f-ao-hour to accomplish. The mass is then allowed to stand for about ten or fifteen minutes, during which time the curd sinks to the bottom. After this tbe temperature is raised to about 90deg., and after standing for about another fifteen minutes the temperature is,rais»d to 102 deg. At this it remains for about an hour and a-balf, tbe time varying according to tbe weather. Hot weather being likely to cause the curd to become acid the time is shortened. The whey, which is by this time all at the top, is then run off by means of a “strainer.” This is a large tube made of perforated zinc, and fitted to a plug bole in the bottom of the rat. Tbe whey runs through the perforations, and is taken direct to tanks mads to receive it, and out of which the pigs are fed. When tbe curd has remained sufficiently long enough to get firm, it is cut into large pieces about 13io i 4in, and packed for drying. When packed for drying it is allowed to stacd for some time, and is then turned on its other edge and repacked. After standing sometime longer it is taken and passed through the card mill. This consists of a roller with four rows of spikes in it, tbe spikes being about three quarters of ao inch apart. It has a corresponding row of spikes io the side of the machine and works on the same principle as a small sausage machine, the curd mill, however, having a small grating in the bottom, through which the curd curd passes into the vat below. This mill is driven by steam, and bas been much improved by Mr Qoidge, who has also effected several other improvements in the Company’s working plant. Forr merly the mill cut the curd too small, and consequently much of the goodness of the cheese was lost and its market value thereby considerably lessened. It was also very slow in its work, but since the improvement effected by the Company’s manager it keeps ope man going very busily to keep it supplied. A great saving of time and labor has thus been effected here. After passing through the mill the curd is cooled to' about 70 deg., salted, and put into the cooling vat, where it remains till the following nu> rU: ing, The pooling yat is a wooden trough which stands in the press room. This is another large, well r ventilated room, and here especially everything is exquisitely clean. Here Mr Gordge’s assistant, Mr Ford’ was busily at werk attending fo the cheeses wbiph had been piR in the presses the previous week. In this room are some ten presses of the newest principle, tome double. Mine tripple, made by

Tiumtaa Corbett, Shrewsbury, England, and enable of pressing about ninety cheeses varying in weight from twelve to thirty pounds each. The presses are worked by screws, and are capable of putting on a pressure of about half a ton. In order to presa them the cheeses are put into galvanised iron “shapes.” These are constructed with an outer case and au inner one. The inner case is movable and can be slipped up something like a telescope, so that when the curd is put in fresh the shape holds about twice the quantity in bulk that it is when the pressing is completed. The whole is put into the press, and the inner case being moveable subsides with the curd to the required size. The cheeses are allowed to remain in the presses for about three days, after which they are ready to go to the drying room. Sere again Mr Qoidge has been to the fore in suggesting improvements. Formerly this room was infested with insects and flies, which deposited their lava in the cheese, and in this and other ways were a constant source of annoyance. This room has now been darkened, which has effectually remedied the evil, the dryingroom being completely cleared of insects, etc. The room itself, which is capable of bolding about six tons of cheese, is divided lengthways into narrow tiers of selves, and again divided into compartments about twelve feet long. These subdivisions are made by means of screens, which are composed of canvas with thin wooden laths stretched across it. They run on wooden rollers placed at the top of the racks, and are practically air-tight. By their use it is possible to' raise the temperature to any heat that may be desired, i constant temperature of 70deg. is maintained in this room by means of hot-air pipes running underneath and and around it, with gratings, through with the heat rises. There is also a chamber running round this room, by means of which it is possible to raise the temperature immediately should it be required. All the shelves, with the exception of those attached to the wall, are made on the revolving principle, which thus saves an immense amount of labor in turning the cheese. From the drying-room the cheese goes into a large room, which is a portion of the same room partitioned off by the screens mentioned above. Like the rest of the building these rooms are modelsof cleanliness; the floor and shelves are scoured white about once a month or so, according to the amount of traffic in the room. Here the cheese remain from two months to ten weeks, or until wasted. Cheese cloths are now used in which to wrap the cheeses completely. Formerly they were bound round with the cloth, and what is know as American “split boards” were used for the top and bottom. These boards which are very thin indeed, were found to curl up in warm weather, and thus allow the cheese to get cracked and disfigured. Lard is now a’so used in putting on the clothe, and is found to answer the purpose of making the cloth adhere to the cheese admirably. When the cloths were only put on wet it was found that on becoming dry they would aot adhere to the cheese, and, getting loose, were a source of inconvenience. The use of lard has now entirely obviated this. The engine room, which is a very commodious one, is fitted with one of Scott Bros, vertical engines, of about eight-horse power, which is fitted with a small pomp for keeping the boiler supplied with water. From this engine the pipes are carried which convey the steam and hot water to all parts of the factory. There is also a small two-horse power engine in this room used for pumping the water from an excellent well up into three large tanks raised about twelve feet from the ground. These tasks, which hold 1200 gallons of water, can be filled by means of this engine in about an hour and a-half. It is also used to drive a small circular saw placed outside and used for cutting the timber to the size required for making the packing boxes. It also drives a corocrusher, io which corn for feeding off the pigs at the end of the season, is crushed. Adjoining the engine room is the washing room, where hot and cold water is laid on, and where all the utensils are scoured bright. In the washing room is a small water wheel driven by a pipe from the elevated tanks. This wheel is employed to drive the, “agitators." When the season is farther advanced the company will receive milk both night and morning. It is put into the vats, and by means of agitators worked by this wheel it ia kept slowly moving during the night in order to prevent the cream from rising, and to reduce the liability of the milk becoming sour. The washing room is connected with drains by means of traps, and thus everything is carried clear away from the factory. Like all the other rooms, with the exception of the drying room, it has a concrete floor and can be flushed clean.

Having thus been shown over the whole of the factory and tasted the fresh curd, which I found to be excellent, I took leave of my courteous conductor having enjoyed my visibjto the establishment, and feeling sure that with the able manager they now have, the company will shortly be able to pay a fair dividend to shareholders.