To make the butter-making equipment complete, a barrel churn should be added. The barrel churn is generally recognized as the most convenient and efficient kind of churn in use. When an extra large quantity of milk is handled it pays to use a cream separator. A separator insures more and better butter.
PLAN No. 822. CHEESE-MAKING EQUIPMENT
Cottage, Neufchatel, plain cream, and pimento cream cheese can be made in the farm home where a surplus supply of milk is available. Cheese is not only a very valuable food but if a first-class product is produced a good market can easily be found for it. The equipment for making cheese is very simple and most of it could be made at home.
The rack for draining the cheese is 16 inches deep, 12 inches wide, and 24 inches long, and is made of pine. The bottom slats which hold the pan under the draining cloth fit into notches made in the lower side strips and can easily be removed when the rack is washed. The corner posts extend 3⁄4 inch above the strips at the top and the corner loops of muslin or cheesecloth drain cloth are looped over the posts. A similar rack, as described, could be made out of an orange or vegetable crate.
The press is made of two poplar or maple boards 11⁄4 inches thick and 141⁄2 inches square. Strips of wood 13⁄4 inches wide are nailed or screwed on the back of each board to prevent them from warping. The boards are planed and sandpapered until perfectly smooth. The lower board has a circular groove which has an outlet through which the whey drains as it is pressed out of the curd.
Fig. 15.—Cheese-making equipment.
A wooden paddle, a dairy thermometer, and a food chopper or sausage grinder with molding tube complete the necessary equipment. The molding tube or cylinder could be made by a tinsmith or can be ordered through a hardware dealer. The paddle can easily be made. The molding tube or stuffing attachment which is attached to the food chopper molds the Neufchatel and cream cheese into attractive and convenient molds for the market. The cheese can also be packed into small glass jars by placing the opening of the jar over the end of the tube through which the cheese is forced. The pimento cream cheese is always put on the market in small glass jars.
PLAN No. 823. THE SHOWER BATH
Better bathing facilities are often needed in homes where bathrooms are not found. A cheap and convenient shower bath can be easily made and used in the kitchen or on the back porch. The shower bath is especially useful in homes where there are children.