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New York
State College of Agriculture
At Cornell University
Dthaca, N. ¥Y.

Library

THE

DAIRYING INDUSTRY

BY

J. A. RUDDICK

Dairy and Cold Storage Commissioner

A LECTURE DELIVERED BEFORE THE
MAY COURT CLUB

OTTAWA

FEBRUARY 21, 1908

OTTAWA
‘GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU
1908

Cornell University

Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924002984270

THE

DAIRYING INDUSTRY

BY

J. A. RUDDICK

Dairy and Cold Storage Commissioner

A LECTURE DELIVERED BEFORE THE)\. ||!’

MAY COURT CLUB

\
OTTAWA

Fepruary 21, 1908

OTTAWA
GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU
1908

aS

THE DAIRYING INDUSTRY

NE would need to have a more fertile imagination than I
have, to be able to put much poetry into a description of
the dairy industry. It is, however, not only one of the greatest
industries in Canada from a material point of view, but it is
one of the great industries of the world. The dairy industry
supplies all civilized people with at least two of their most
indispensable articles of food. There may not be many people
induced to engage in the business of dairying from a pure
love of it, but it cannot be denied that it does offer attractions
to those who are obliged to consider the money-getting possi-
bilities of whatever line of effort their energies are employed
in,

There are not many persons in this audience, or in the
whole Dominion for that matter, who do not derive, either
directly or indirectly, some benefit from this great industry
which has contributed so largely to the prosperity of Canadian
agriculture. This assertion will be the more readily believed
when I state that the total value of the products of Canadian
dairies, including milk, butter, cheese and condensed milk,
amounts to something like $100,000,000 annually.

A very important point in this connection is the fact that
while we recover, with the aid of the gentle cow, this large
amount of wealth from mother earth, by the transmutation
of pasturage and fodder crops into milk, the soil is not im-
poverished in the process, but on the contrary, is left in better

condition every year to produce another $100,000,000. If
3

you dig a million dollars out of a gold mine, you have nothing
left but a hole in the ground, and I am told that you are
much surer of the hole in the ground than you are of the
million dollars. In a country like ours where agriculture is
the true basis of all wealth, this question of the conservation
of soil fertility is of fundamental importance.

In view of these facts, I have no further apology to offer
on behalf of the dairy industry.

A broad application of the term, “dairying industries,”
would include milk production, the milk supply of town and
cities, the manufacture of butter, cheese and condensed milk
and the numerous by-products obtained from the casein of
milk, such as substitutes for ivory and celluloid, adhesives,
woodfillers, paint, pencil erasers, toilet cream, &c., &. But
knowing the short time at my disposal, and believing that the
patience and endurance of the members of the May Court
Club and their friends must have limitations, I am obliged
to use the term in a more restricted sense this evening. I shall
confine myself, therefore, to a brief reference to the two great
branches of the industry, namely, the manufacture of butter
and the manufacture of cheese, with particular reference to
the butter and cheese which is made in factories. It has been
the common practice to base all estimates of our progress on
the factory end of the business, because the home end of dairy-
ing is such an unknown quantity that accurate figures are not
obtainable, although it is estimated that the milk which is
used for direct consumption, and the butter which is made on
farms have a value which is at least double the value of the
butter and cheese made in factories.

The use of milk and its products as foods for man, dates
back to the very earliest times. We find frequent mention of
butter and cheese in the early books of the Bible. Cheese was

known to the Greeks before the time of Homer, and Cesar
4

relates that the German tribes supplied the Romans with cheese
in his day.

Tradition says that butter was discovered by the nomadic
tribes of the East, who found that it was produced by the
agitation which milk received when transported long distances
on the backs of camels. It is said that in Arabia, even to this
day, a sort of oily butter is procured by placing the milk in a
vessel made from the skin of an animal, and shaking it to and
fro suspended from the limb of a tree or other convenient
support.

Butter, as we know it, consists of the fat of milk, in solid
form, mixed with a certain percentage of water, which may
vary according to the skill or intention of the buttermaker, but
12 to 14 per cent is considered to be about the right proportion.
Sixteen per cent of water is the legal limit in this country.
The process of buttermaking is practically the same wherever
scientific methods are followed, and it requires an expert to
detect the slight differences of flavour and texture which may
be found in well made sampleg of butter brought together
from the ends of the earth. Of course, there is good and bad
butter to be found everywhere, and it is the proportion of the
two kinds produced in any country that makes or mars its
reputation in this respect, rather than any distinctive quality
or characteristic in the product which may be traced to locality
of origin.

Cheese is made by precipitating the protein compounds of
milk with rennet. The curd which is thus formed holds the
fat of milk mechanically, and a certain amount of the water
is also retained. A Canadian cheddar cheese, for instance,
consists, roughly speaking, of one-third fat, one-third protein
or casein compounds, and one-third water.

The art of cheese-making is infinitely more intricate and

difficult than that of butter-making. It deals with several
5

constituents of the milk, two of which, the sugar and the
casein, unlike the comparatively inert and stable fat, are
peculiarly subject to bio-chemical changes, as yet not fully
understood or studied by the chemist and the bacteriologist.

It requires only slight modifications of the process of cheese-
making to produce marked differences in the finished product.
As a result, there are probably 100 distinct different varieties
of cheese made in various parts of the world, and at least 25
well-known classes, varying greatly in appearance, texture and
flavour—particularly in flavour.

They vary in texture from the Schabzieger of the Swiss
Alps, so hard that it must be grated, or rasped, as the name
suggests, to the soft and creamy French cheese, like Brie or
Camembert; in the matter of flavour, there is the mild and
genteel Cheddar on the one hand, and the loud and vigorous
Limburger on the other; and as for size, they range from the
dainty Neufchatel, a few ounces in weight, to the ponderous
Gruyére which may weigh over 100 Ibs.

While the preparation of cheese as an article of food is
undoubtedly one of the oldest of the technical arts, the science
of cheese-making is of very recent origin. Until only twenty
or thirty years ago, our knowledge of the art was almost wholly
empirical, having been handed down from father to son, or
more correctly speaking, from mother to daughter, each
generation adding its quota of experience to the rules which
then did duty for the more exact knowledge that is available
to the cheesemaker of the present day.

The brilliant researches and discoveries of Pasteur,
although they did not include a study of milk, nevertheless
blazed the track along which other scientists have followed
to show us the why and the wherefore of many of the changes
that take place in milk and its products. We know now that

the profound changes which result from milk fermentations are
6

not natural to the milk itself, but depend upon the entrance
of germs which are introduced either accidentally or inten-
tionally after the milk is drawn. Thus that common pheno-
menon, the souring of the milk, is not due to any inherent
tendency in the milk itself, but to the introduction of the
lactic acid bacilli which split up the sugar of milk and
produces lactic acid. The investigations of bacteriologists and
chemists, supported by the work of practical experimenters,
have established, during these recent years what appears to
be a sound basis for the science of dairying.

It is only fair to say here, that the sum of original knowl-
edge on this subject has received some valuable contributions
through the investigations of the experts of the Canadian
departments of agriculture and agricultural colleges. It may
also be said that Canadian cheese-makers have led the van in
applying the teachings of science to the practice of their art.

But we must not pursue this phase of the subject any
further, or we shall get into technicalities which would neither
be profitable nor interesting to this audience. It will be more
in keeping with the aims and objects of the Court in arranging
the course of lectures, of which the present is one, if we now
proceed to consider the origin, status and possibilities of the
dairy industry in Canada.

The early French settlers introduced cows from Brittany
and no doubt made butter from their milk. It is quite likely
that they made cheese also and that the ‘Fromage raffiné’
still made on the Island of Orleans is a relic of their early
efforts. Cheese of a more or less nondescript character was
made for home use by the early settlers of Ontario, but neither
the art nor the industry made any progress in Canada until
the factory system was introduced in the year 1864. The
first cheese factory was established in Oxford county, Ontario,

by one Harvey Farrington, who came from New York State
7

for the purpose. Another factory was started in Hastings
county in 1866, and from that time forward the extension of
the industry forged rapidly ahead in Ontario. The first
cheese factory was established in the province of Quebec, in
Missisquoi county, about the same time as the first ones in
Ontario, but there was very little development of the industry
until after the year 1880.

The dairy industry has not grown as much in New Bruns-
wick or in Nova Scotia as one would expect to find in districts
so well adapted for it. Fruit growing, lumbering and fishing
have divided the attention of the farmers to some extent, and
dairying does not prosper unless it is made the special business
of the farm. There are, however, a number of successful
cheese factories and creameries in these two provinces, and
they supply the local demand for butter and cheese and have
a considerable surplus for export to the West Indies. I was
gratified to find, when I visited Bermuda and Jamaica a year
or two ago, that the ‘ Bluenose’ and the ‘ Evangeline’ brands
of butter and cheese were the most popular of any sold in those
islands.

Co-operative or factory dairying was begun in Prince
Edward Island in 1902, under the guidance of my predecessor
in office, Dr. James W. Robertson. In a few years there were
some 40 factories in operation and Prince Edward Island
became recognized as a successful dairying province. It has
been generally acknowledged that the prosperity of the island
has been wonderfully quickened by the adoption of systematic
dairy practices.

Following the trend of events rather than geographical
sequence, let us now turn our attention to the West for a few
moments. In Manitoba, organized dairying began to make
headway about 1894, and there are now a fair number of cheese

factories and creameries in that province. In what was then
8

the territories of Assiniboia and Saskatchewan, there were at
one time 14 creameries in active operation, but the reign of
King Wheat has proved inimical to the growth of the dairy
industry, and it has not been developed extensively in what
is now the province of Saskatchewan.

Proceeding westward into Alberta, we find more favourable
conditions, especially in that section of the province lying
between Calgary and Edmonton, where the progress of the
dairy industry has kept pace with the settlement of the
country. Beginning in 1896, the increase has been steady and
substantial, with the result that to-day there are 45 creameries
and 8 cheese factories in the sunny province of Alberta. There
is every indication that Northern Alberta will become one of
the best dairy sections of Canada.

These two western provinces have been the scene of a
unique and rather abrupt departure from the line which has
generally been followed by governments in assisting agricul-
tural effort. A few creameries had been started in the early
nineties as private or co-operative ventures, but at the end of
two or three years, they were, for various reasons, and with-
out exception, acknowledged to be failures. The new set-
tlers, who were depending almost wholly on dairying as a
means of livelihood, were in a serious position, because, while
it was possible for them to make butter on their farms, their
facilities were very poor, and there was no way by which the
individual farmer could find a profitable market for his butter

at that time.

The Dominion Government came to the rescue, and the
Dairy Commissioner was authorized by the Honourable the
Minister of Agriculture to take over the management of the
existing creameries, to advance sufficient money to pay off
their pressing debts, and to make loans for the equipment of

new creameries that would come under the same management.
9

Confidence was at once restored and under expert supervision
the business grew and prospered so that the Department of
Agriculture was able, at the end of 1905, to give up the active
control of a large number of creameries which had been
assisted to a position of independence and stability. New
markets had been found for the butter in the Orient and in
the Yukon, and a reputation had been established that is of
great value to the industry in that part of the country to-day.
The money which was advanced to the creamery associations
has all been repaid except a few trifling amounts.

The new provincial governments are following the policy
adopted by the federal authorities, and with a modified plan,
continue to foster the industry. Knowing the circumstances,
as I do, I have no hesitation in asserting that this action on
the part of the government, call it paternalism if you like,
saved what was then known as ‘ The Territories’ from a most
serious setback, and carried the early settlers over the most
critical and trying period of their experience.

Crossing the Great Divide into British Columbia, we find
a successful creamery business established at different points
in the fertile Okanagan valley, along the Lower Fraser river,
and on Vancouver island.

Thus we see that the dairy industry is well established in
every province of the Dominion from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
The total number of cheese factories and creameries in Canada
at present is 4,355. Of this number, 1,284 are in the pro-
vince of Ontario, and 2,806 are in Quebec, leaving 265 fairly
evenly distributed among the other seven provinces. The
factories in Ontario average much larger than those in the
other provinces.

The first cheese was exported from Canada to Great Britain
in 1864, The shipments grew year by year and reached the

10

maximum in 1903, when the total value of the butter and
cheese exported amounted to the sum of $31,667,561.

The slight falling off in the quantity exported during the
last year or two has been attributed to a decline of the industry,
but the true reasons for it are much more satisfactory and
are really a cause for congratulation. The large growth in
our population and the increased purchasing power of the
people generally, easily account for the decrease in the exports.

There is no reason why the dairy industry should not be
largely extended in every province of the Dominion. I have
visited every important dairy country in the world, except
Siberia, and am bound to say none of them is better fitted by
nature for successful dairying than Canada is. With a climate
which produces healthy, vigorous animals, notably free from
epizootic diseases, with a fertile soil for the growing of fodder
crops and pasture, with abundance of pure water, and a plenti-
ful supply of ice for all purposes of the dairy, we have almost
ideal conditions, and advantages which should be of great
assistance in holding a fair share of the world’s trade in dairy
products.

Great Britain is our chief market for butter and cheese,
although we send comparatively small quantities to New-
foundland, Bermuda, the West Indies, British Guiana, Mexico
and South Africa. We also sell some butter in the Orient,
and of late years a small quantity has gone to Germany.

The quantity of butter and cheese annually imported into
Great Britain is enormous. The value of the butter alone
amounts to over $100,000,000, of which the little kingdom of
Denmark supplies nearly one-half. Siberia comes next and
is credited with over $15,000,000 worth, closely followed by
Australia. Next in the order of their importance are, France,
New Zealand, Sweden, The Netherlands, Canada, the United

States and Argentina. Small and irregular quantities are
u

received from some other countries. It will probably saps
many of you to hear that the dairymen of Iceland send occa-
sional shipments of creamery butter to Scotland.

The value of the cheese annually imported into Great:
Britain is a little over $33,000,000, of which Canada has the
distinction of furnishing 72 per cent of the whole or 84 per
cent of the kind which we make. The other countries from
which supplies of cheese are obtained are New Zealand, The
Netherlands, United States, France, Switzerland, Italy and
Australia. These facts are important, especially in regard to
butter, because they show us what a great field there is for a
further extension of our butter trade. Canadian butter stands
high in the British market, not only for its superior quality,
but because our laws relating to its manufacture and sale are
the most stringent of any country in the world, and are a
standing guarantee of its absolute purity. I need hardly say
that Canadian cheese easily ranks first in quality among the
imports into Great Britain of the class to which it belongs.

The comparative food values of milk and cheese are
becoming better known and as this appreciation grows, as it
should, these products will enter more largely into our daily
dietary than they do at present. A quart of good milk is
said to be equal in food value to a pound of meat, and one
pound of well ripened cheese contains as much nourishment
as two and a-half pounds of the best beefsteak; therefore;
milk at 12 cents a quart and cheese at 20 cents a pound are
among the cheapest of foods, compared with the present prices.
of other things.

The governments of Canada, both federal and provincial}.
have been liberal in their policies concerning the dairy in-
dustry. It has been generally agreed that the provincial
authorities should undertake all work which is educational

in character, while the Dominion Government deals with
12

questions pertaining to markets, transportation and cold
storage, or what may be termed the commercial side of the
industry. The Dominion Government also assumes the re-
sponsibility for the enactment and the administration of the

laws relating to the manufacture, sale and exportation of dairy
products.

All the provincial departments of agriculture, except Nova
Scotia, have regularly organized dairy divisions. Dairy
schools are maintained in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick
and Manitoba. Experts are employed who visit the cheese
factories and creameries during the working season, for the
purpose of giving instruction to the cheese or butter makers
and to advise with those in charge of factories on questions of
general management. Canada was the first country in the
world to adopt this system of factory instruction, and there
are now nearly 100 of these experts employed by the different
provincial governments. Much of our success in cheese-making
can be attributed to this system of factory instruction.

The Dominion officials endeavour to keep in touch with
the tendencies and requirements of the markets to which our
butter and cheese are shipped, and to disseminate among the
cheese and butter makers such information as may be acquired
with that end in view.

‘A large staff of men are employed, under the Dairy and
Cold Storage Commissioner, who watch and report on the
handling of butter and cheese from the time it leaves the
factory in Canada until it reaches the consumer in Great
Britain. The information thus collected is passed on to those
who may be interested, or who are responsible for the defects
which have been noted, and as a result there is constant im-
provement being made, not only in the quality of the butter
and cheese and in the appearance and style of the packages,

but also in the services provided by the transportation com-
13

panies. The cold storage services, both on land and sea, which
were inaugurated through the initiative of the Department of
Agriculture, at the head of which is the Hon. Sydney Fisher,
who is our chairman this evening, have been of incalculable
benefit to the dairying industries.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have attempted in this brief
sketch, to give you some idea of the importance and value of
the dairying industries to Canada. I hope I have been suc
cessful in some degree at least.

14

‘ornell University Libra

The dairying industry,