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| Butter Churn, "Blow", made by Blow Churn Co., England. Tongarra Museum |
Butter churns are machines that are used to produce butter by the violent agitation of separated cream. In the early dairy industry of Australia, the most common designs were constructed from wood, cast iron, steel and glass.
The earliest designs were worked by a crank handle and integrated gear system. The larger models in use at dairy factories were powered by energy obtained from the operation of a windmill, steam engine or oil engine.
Cream Separator
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| Cream Separator, made by Alfa Laval Separator Co. Ltd., Stockholm, Sweden. Tongarra Museum |
Cream separators are used to separate the fatty content of milk from its watery constituents in order to produce cream. The earliest cream separators were worked with a hand crank to initiate the centrifugal process. This source of power was later replaced with the installation of steam turbine engines connected to the separators by a belt drive and later still with the widespread availability of electricity. For a period of time the separators were also powered by horses who walked on a treadmill like machine.
The introduction of the cream separator into Australian in the 1880s was an event which dramatically shifted farm and factory methods of producing cream, improved hygienic standards and raised the productive capacity of the local dairy industry. Museum Examples
Cream Setting Pan
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| Cream Setting Pan, iron with tinplate, made by J. T. M. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
A setting pan was used in the early decades of the dairy industry in Australia as part of a manual method to produce cream. It worked on the principle of gravity separation, whereby if a body of milk was allowed to set for an extended periodmost commonly between 24 and 36 hours- the fatty cream would rise to the surface and float on the remaining skim milk liquid. The cream was formed from the coagulation of fat-globules present in the milk. This is due to the differing densities of the fat-rich cream as compared to the water-rich skim milk.
Museum Examples
Milking Machine
The design of early milking machines varied to a large extent, utilising different methods to initiate the flow of milk. The earliest known design is the catheter type which comprised an open teat sphincter that was inserted to force open the sphincter muscle allowing the milk to flow. The tubes used in these early machines were constructed from wood or feather quills. One model of this early design type is attributed to E. A. Hewitt from Groton, Connecticut but another similar design awarded C. Knapp an American patent in 1849.
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| Milking Machine, “Dangar G.”, pulsator type, made by Dangar Gedye & Malloch Ltd. Bega Pioneers' Museum |
Another peculiar machine which appeared in the 1860s in England was a vacuum milker that comprised a hand operated diaphragm vacuum device that worked on four teats simultaneously. The milk was invented by L. O. Colvin and was awarded patents in the United States in 1860 and 1863. Criticism made of the machine was that it was injurious to the cow and often drew blood which then entered the milk supply.
By the 1860s experimentations with the design of milking machines shifted towards models that utilised pressure or vacuum to initiate the flow of milk. The vacuum or suction milking machine had a pump driven by hand or another source of power. The vacuum simulated the motion of calf milking to induce the flow of milk. This last type was most commonly used in later decades when the machines were more widely adopted.
Engineers from Australia and New Zealand was responsible for many advances in the design of milking machines, with three well known models- the “Jersey” milking machine, the “Dominion” milking machine and the “Austral” milking machine. These models altered the design of the teat cup and rubber tubbing so as to reduce the strain upon the cow during the process of milking.
Museum Examples
Milk Dipper
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| Milk Dipper, steel, made by Band IT, Denver, Colorado. Tongarra Museum |
Museum Examples
Milk Tester
Milk testing was introduced in many national dairy industries to combat malpractice on the part of dishonest farmers who watered down their supply to gain higher returns. The most widely used test in Australia was the Babcock Method, devised by Stephen M. Babcock from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The testers used centrifugal force and a chemical agent (sulphuric acid) to separate the fat and water contents of milk. Once the sample was separated, a reading of the fat content would be made from the graduations on the side of the test tube, and a percentage determined.
Museum Examples
Milk Carton |
| Milk Tester, manual, painted black cast iron with tinned iron parts. Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Park Museum |
Museum Examples
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| Milk Carton, 7, one litre, paperboard and waterproof plastic coating, used by Bega Co-operative Society Ltd. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
After the cartons were filled, the upper edge would be sealed by heat. A form of adhesive would be initiated by a heated roller which would affix the sides together and protect the contents from being spoiled by exposure to air. By the time of the introduction of carton packing, pasteurising was ubiquitous throughout all dairy factories in New South Wales due legislation that made it compulsory. Pasteurisation halted the spoilage of milk and enabled it to be stored for more extensive periods than what had been previously possible.
Museum Examples
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| Skimmer, iron with tinplate. Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Park Museum |
Dairy Boiler
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| Boiler, copper and steel, made by Frank Moorhouse, Nowra. Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Park Museum |
The boiler was worked by lighting a fire in the narrow fireplace in an enclosed section located below the main cylinder. The fire would heat the cylinder till the water reached boiling point.
Butter Roller
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| Butter Roller, "Australia", wood. Gerringong Museum |
Butter rollers were a utensil used to imprint a pattern on the upper surface of large butter blocks. The rollers typically featured the name of the company, geometrical patterns and other intricate designs or the nation or region of manufacture.
Museum Examples
Butter Worker
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| Butter Worker, rotary, made by E. Cherry & Sons, Gisborne. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
A butter worker is a specially designed table with some attached component that was used to produce a smooth, even butter texture. The crudest butter workers had a rectangular tray that sat on long legs like a table. Along the length of the tray’s sides were two metal tracks with grooves. A long roller with protruding lengths (having an appearance much like a crude paddlewheel) was set sideways over the tray. It was turned by a crank handle positioned at one end of the roller that turned a gear system running over a metal track. Another similar design had the roller in a fixed position, while the tray would move forwards and backwards. Another design that was not very common in Australia Britain
Another commonly used butter worker was the rotart type which featured a round tray with the metal track extending around the table's outer circumference. As the crank handle was turned the tray would rotate. The roller had a unique shape which had the appearance of a wave or the tilde diacretic symbol (~). This roller spun as the table rotated around on the metal gear. Any excess buttermilk would be drained through the centre column which had a small hole in its side for this purpose. A bucket would be set under the middle part of the worker while in use, and the buttermilk could then be used to feed any pigs kept at the farm or factory.
Butter Cutter
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| Butter Cutter, wood, cast iron and steel wire. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
This design, though effective, could only cut through a small block quantity at one time. A later design of the cutter was specially built for larger quantities and appeared in a self contained unit that had four legs. The cutter worked by inserting the large block into the centre cavity. By the movement of a crank handle, a wooden platform would push the block through the centre cavity towards the opposite end which had a wire grid. After extruding the butter for a sufficient length, a guillotine blade would be brought down, producing the one pound butter blocks. This later design was also known as a butter extruder.
Museum Examples
Milking Stool
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| Milking Stool, wood, three legs. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
Until the invention of the milking machine all milk was obtained twice a day- by hand. The cow would be brought into a milking shed where it would be prepared for milking. The milker was positioned just off the ground to enable them to exercise the greatest control over the cow.
A short wooden stool was used because it provided the milker with the desired height needed for the process, and also because they enabled good movement if the cow began to protest and attempt to knock over the bucket. Though the stool was intended to reduce any strain on the back by bringing them closer to the ground, it still was a source of pain for many when the process extended beyond the usual four hours needed for each of the morning and afternoon milking sessions.
Museum Examples
Butter Pats
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| Butter Pats, wood, two pairs. Berrima Museum |
Museum Examples
Butter Kegs
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| Butter Keg, “DK”, “XXX”, “MAIRLIE”, wooden staves and iron bands, used by 'DK'. Illawarra Museum |
Butter kegs were used to transport butter over long distances. They were used repeatedly until falling into disrepair. Markings such as inscribed names or symbols were added to the wooden surface of the kegs to enable the owner to identify them when returned empty. The kegs are most commonly associated with the age of steam shipping companies which collected produce at ports along the coast and transported them to large centres such as the Sydney market.
Museum Examples
Curd Knife
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| Curd Knife, steel frame and wooden handle, horizontal teeth. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
The curd knife was used in cheese factories to produce large quantities of cheese. The curd would be sitting in a large vat where it coagulated by the provision of heat by steam. After the curd had developed, the knives were used to break up the curd into pieces and to stir the mixture while it was being scalded. The knives would be be attached to a steel frame hanging over the centre of a vat which extended from a centre axis and rotated around the vat so that the knives would cut and stir the contents.
Milk Vendors' Measure
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| Milk Measure, made by Malleys Ltd., Sydney. Bega Pioneers' Museum |
Museum Examples
Milk Vat
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| Milk Vat, stainless steel. Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Park Museum |
A milk vat was used as a storage container for recently obtained milk that needed to be cooled. It would be positioned on a specially installed bracket or shelf, overhanging the bar cooler. A tap fixture attached to the bottom front of the vat would regulate the contents so it flowed at a continuous rate. As the milk was drained from the vat it would fall over the cream cooler before being collected in a can, keg or vat. It would then be returned to pass again through the system until the temperature had been sufficiently lowered.
Museum Examples
Scales and Balances
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| Platform Scales, cast iron, made by W. & T. Avery Ltd., Birmingham. Tongarra Museum |
Museum Examples
Ice Cream Churns
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| Ice Cream Maker, "Lightning", oak, cast iron and steel, made by Shepard's, U.S.A. Berrima Museum |
Museum Examples
Milking Bucket
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| Milking Bucket, steel, made by Malleys Ltd., Sydney. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
In early times, there was little variety in the design of milking buckets other than some small variances owing to the different methods of construction associated with particular materials. However in later decades of hand milking, a new form of bucket emerged that had a partial side lid that halted the intrusion of impurities from the air and the dairy building entering the bucket.
Museum Examples
Milk Can
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| Milk Can, iron, 3 bands, used by Nicholas Ball, dairy farmer, Albion Park. Tongarra Museum |
The cans offered little insulation against the sun’s heat during these warmer months. There are many documentary reports of the contents of milk cans going sour under the stress of the sun's heat.
Museum Examples
Butter Wrapper
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| Butter Wrapper, “Warrilla” Brand, used by the Illawarra Central Cooperative Dairy Co Ltd., Albion Park Rail, c. 1956. Tongarra Museum |
Waxed paper wrapping was a common material used for packaging small butter blocks. The wrapping would often be highly decorated with a company logo or idyllic rural scene, in addition to details of the quantity, date of manufacture and company details.
Museum Examples
Butter Wrapper Cutter
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| Butter Wrapper Cutter, wooden base and steel frame. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
Butter Wrapper Cutters were a machine was used at factories to cut a desired section from a roll of butter wrapping. A roll of waxed paper wrapping was positioned on the steel frame. It was brought forward away from the roll and when the desired length had been pulled, it was torn against a sharp steel blade.
Butter Stamp
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| Butter Stamp, 2, wood, acorn and clove designs. Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Park Museum |
It was a common practice for butter presented at tables to be decorated with a pattern imprinted by a small wooden stamp. The stamps were carved from wood and were held in the hand by a curved handle on the reverse side. It enabled the user to impart the downward pressure necessary to produce a well-defined print. The stamps were designed typically for half pound or one pound quantities of butter.
There was much variety in the designs chosen for the stamps. They varied between botanical styles, to terrestrial animals while others featured complex geometric patterns. Some common designs included sheaves of wheat, stylised plants, abstract shapes, eagles, fruits, and acorns.
Museum Examples
Butter Packer
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| Butter Packer, wood and cast iron parts, 20 pound size. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
The packers were used together with a hand held packing instrument. The most rudimentary forms of this hand held packer was a wooden pole with a small, flat platform at the end for applying even pressure. Butter pats were also widely used to shape the butter into the box form. It was important that care was taken to remove any air pockets as long periods of transport would lead to spoilage of the total package if excess air was present.
Museum Examples
Butter Box
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| Butter Box, wooden staves, 56lb., used by the Jamberoo Co-operative Dairy Society Ltd. Kangaroo Valley Pioneer Park Museum |
If Australian butter was to be sold in foreign markets, it would also be stencilled with a brand that identified it as Australian butter. This was a requirement of many nations at the time, including
Museum Examples
Cheese Press
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| Cheese Press, single thread. Bega Pioneers' Museum |
The most commonly used models of cheese presses included: screw lever press (compression produced by bringing down a platform attached by a metal thread to a crank handle), horizontal designs (e.g. the Gang Press) and spring presses (where the compression of a powerful spring would provide the necessary pressure). Many cheese presses in use in the early cheese industry in Australia
Curd Vat
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Cheese Vat, “Ceres and cast iron, made by Fa C. Can’t Riet, Utrecht, Holland. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
The unsatisfactory elements of this design were overcome with an innovation whereby two vats were used with a pump installed to transfer the curd between them. The contents of the larger vat was continuously pumped into a smaller tub that heated the contents before pouring it back into the large vat. This design was not only a more stable means to heat the coagulating curd, it was also vastly more efficient.
The earliest designs of cheese vats were typically constructed from a wood such as oak or from copper. In later decades they were made from a tinned metal or steel. Common to most vat designs was the inclusion of a tap fixture located at the lower base that would be opened to drain away any excess whey during the process of coagulation.
Museum Examples
Curd Knife
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| Curd Knife, steel frame and steel teeth. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
The knives were typically attached to a steel frame hanging over the centre of a vat. They would be hung on this frame which extended from a centre axis and rotated around the vat so that the knives would cut and stir the contents. Primitive examples of the knives were made from a wooden frame with wire teeth, however steel was commonly in use for later models.
Museum Examples
Curd Rake
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| Curd Rake, wood. Bega Pioneers' Museum |
Curd rakes are significant for their association with early methods of cheese production. They illustrate the intensity of human labour involved in the process of producing cheese. Examples of curd rakes also demonstrate the improvisation made by dairy farmers in forming utensils from readily available materials.
Museum Examples
Cheese Barrel
Cheese Barrels were used to store cheese wheels during their transit. They were typically constructed from wooden staves arranged around a round or square base. It was common for dairy factories to stack two cheese wheels within the barrel, though after extensive transit the product often arrived in a deformed state from the pressure. During shipment, the barrels were stacked to take the best advantage of limited space.
The lid and sides of the barrel were typically burnished or stencilled with a mark to identify the producer or the place of origin. The barrels would be reused time and time again until falling into disrepair.
Museum Example
Cheese Box
The sides and lid of the boxes would have a stencilled decoration that may have included a company brand or details about the contents. These boxes were commonly reused in the home to store various small items.
Museum Example
Cheese Barrel
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| Cheese Barrel, wood, used for transporting cheese at Dundindi, Bega River. Bega Cheese Heritage Centre |
The lid and sides of the barrel were typically burnished or stencilled with a mark to identify the producer or the place of origin. The barrels would be reused time and time again until falling into disrepair.
Museum Example
Cheese Box
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| Box, wood, made by Kraft Walker Cheese Company Pty. Ltd. Bega Pioneers' Museum |
Wooden boxes were commonly used from the early decades of the twentieth century in Australia to store domestic quantities of hard cheese. The boxes were constructed from a inexpensive wood, commonly quite light, with nails holding the sides together.
The sides and lid of the boxes would have a stencilled decoration that may have included a company brand or details about the contents. These boxes were commonly reused in the home to store various small items.
Museum Example
