patrons. But not all the farmers were willing to go to the expense of buying creamers, or building ice-houses and filling them every winter, and so they worked along in the old way until the early spring of 1887, when some said, "why not have a cheese factory in Lebanon, to run through the summer months at least, and then we shall not have to bother with ice, or expensive furni ture?" So word was sent out for a meeting of those interested, to talk over the matter of establishing a cheese factory, and quite a number of farmers came together. But when they came to discuss the matter, it was found that what they didn't know about cheese factories and cheese-making, was vastly in excess of real knowledge. However, the writer of this had procured a catalogue of cheese factory apparatus from Messrs. Burrill & Whitman of Little Falls, New York, from which it appeared that the cost of outfit was much less for making cheese than for making butter. The project looked so favorable on the whole, that it was decided to appoint a committee of five to investigate cost more fully, to see how many cows would be pledged, to look up a suitable site for the factory, and to recommend some form of organization. The committee took the matter in hand at once, and found that about thirty farmers were ready to furnish the milk from 200, or odd, cows, as soon as the factory could be made ready, and they also recommended that a joint stock company be formed, with shares distributed as much as possible among intending patrons. The capital stock was fixed at $1500, divided into sixty shares of $25 each. Eighteen men subscribed for the whole amount of stock, and one gentleman offered to give a lease for land on which to erect the factory, without cost to the company, so long as the building should be used for dairying purposes. Articles of incorporation were adopted and duly published, and the organization was named "The Farmers' Dairy Company" of Lebanon. It was thought best, owing to our ignorance of the cheese-making business, to send a committee of one to visit some cheese factories in New York State, and get all information possible in regard to plan, arrangement, and size of building needed, and also to secure an experienced cheese-maker.

As the result of the above visitation, the company erected a plain, unostentatious building. 28 by 56 feet with 11-feet posts, with a side projection 8 by 16 feet for a boiler-room. The ground floor is divided into two rooms each 28x28 ft., one being used for

cheese-making and the other for a curing room.

The first story is

8 ft. in the clear. The large room upstairs is divided into two unequal parts, the larger being used for a curing room and the smaller for a box shop. The floor of the boiler room is about 18 inches lower than the main floor. Water is brought to the factory through 700 feet of iron pipe from a well in higher ground.

The entire cost of the building, with water connections, whey tank, and shelving, ready for use, the first season, was $726.60.

We were fortunate in securing the services of an excellent cheesemaker from Herkimer Co., N. Y., to whom we paid $45 a month and board, and who did the work without an assistant. The first meeting of farmers to discuss the cheese-factory question was held April 15, 1887, and on the 26th of May the factory commenced receiving milk. We purchased a 600-gallon steam and hot water cheese vat, and a Frazer Gang Press, and Frazer Patent Hoops. The whole cost of outfit, including boiler and steam connections, was $527.66.

One of the earliest questions which came before the company for settlement was, "On what basis patrons should receive their pay ?" It was found upon investigation, that cheese-makers in New York State were generally agreed that on the average, ten pounds of milk would make one pound of cheese, and hence in Herkimer and other cheese-producing counties of New York, patrons were paid

for every ten pounds of milk delivered at the factory, the price received for a pound of cheese, less the cost of making. So we proposed to our patrons, and they accepted it, to pay them for every ten pounds of milk delivered at the factory in suitable condition, the average wholesale price per pound of the month's sales of cheese, less the cost of making, curing, selling, and all ordinary expenses.

We found that New York factories charged from one cent to one and one-half cents (and sometimes even more) a pound for all expense of making, etc.; the greater the quantity of milk received at the factory, the less the cost in proportion, and as our product the first season would be small, we decided to charge one and onehalf cents a pound for making, etc.

Patrons were required to bring their milk to the factory only once a day, between the hours of six and eight o'clock in the morn

ing. Each man's milk was weighed separately and a record kept of it. They were allowed to keep their Saturday night and Sunday morning milk at home if they chose. Each patron was required to have two cans, to keep his night's milk separate, and he was allowed to carry home his share of the whey. Cleanliness and neat. ness were strenuously insisted upon, and the necessity of good food and plenty of pure water for the cows, as well as gentle treatment, was carefully set forth. The season of 1887 proved an excellent one for our new enterprise, as not for a number of years had the price of cheese ruled so high. The factory was in operation 157 days, closing October 29th. The total amount of milk received was 447,636 pounds, from which 1,276 cheeses were made, weighing 46,928 pounds. The total amount received from the sale of the above product was $5,331.32, of which patrons received $4,406.96. The total expenses of the season were $865.53, including a dividend of six per cent. on the capital stock, and the balance was added to stock account to make up for loss and wear and tear of utensils and building. At the end of the season it was found that it had taken nine pounds eight and three-fourths ounces of milk on the average to make one pound of cheese, and that patrons had received on the average for the entire season, ninety-nine and thirteen one hundredths cents for each hundred pounds of milk, or about eight and one-fourth cents a gallon. As it is the rule among dairymen to consider two and one-half pounds of cheese equivalent to one pound of butter, the price paid to patrons for milk was equivalent to a fraction over twenty-four cents a pound for butter, aside from cost of making.

The cheese found a ready sale in Norwich, Willimantic, and neighboring towns, and was, most of it, of excellent quality. In every box was placed a printed guarantee that the cheese was made from whole milk, largely from Jersey cows. Our cheese-maker had to experiment with the milk a good deal, as he said it acted differ ent from any that he had ever seen, and not infrequently in hot, moist weather, the milk from some dairy would be tainted and the whole quantity be more or less affected by it, but time and thorough handling of the curds usually removed the taint.

The season of 1888 opened May 1st, and continued 170 days, until October 17th. We were fortunate in securing the same cheese-maker, and in view of the great increase of patronage, gave him an able assistant. A new 400-gallon steam-heating cheese vat

MONTH.

was put in, and additional cheese-hoops and other necessary articles were purchased, the building was improved, the large upper room fixed up with sheives for curing the cheese, etc., the entire outlay amounting to some $275, which expense was paid for out of the unused capital stock. The milk from more than 400 cows was promised, though on account of late calving, probably less than half were ready when the factory opened. The charge for making was increased to one and three-fourths cents a pound, when the daily milk receipts for a month averaged over 4,000 pounds, and one and seven-eights cents, if less. In 1887 it was found that less than ten pounds of milk was required to make one of cheese, whereas the patrons were paid at the rate of ten to one, consequently a surplus fund was left in the hands of the Company. This year, on account of the above increased charge, it was agreed to divide whatever surplus there might be from the above cause, among the patrons at the end of the season. The number of patrons increased to fifty-five, and the amount of milk brought taxed the capacity of the factory, and made us wish we had erected a larger building. The following tables give, in condensed form, the business of the year. Some figures from the season of 1887 are put in for comparison. Two things will be particularly noticed the steady falling off of the quantity of milk after June, this year, and the much lower price of cheese. A good part of our cheese in 1887 brought one-eighth cent above the highest New York quotations for fancy white, and this year almost the entire product sold for one-fourth cent above highest New York quotations.

Pounds Weight.

1888.