Rosewood History

The Rosewood Dairy Company Limited

1887-1900

Frederick Christopher Emmott owned a store on the corner of Railway Street and Albert Street, Rosewood. In December 1887, F. C. Emmott & Co established the Rosewood Dairy Company, a dairy and butter factory in the Lanefield area. It was situated on an 18 acre section of Portion 424, which he leased from Mark Bensley.

Frederick Emmott disposed of his Rosewood property to Mr. J. L. Frederich of Marburg, who purchased the land, store and business. This store would later become W. Ruhno’s general store.

Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.) Tuesday, 6 December 1887, Page 4

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Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.) Tuesday, 17 January 1888, page 2

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Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser (Qld.), Thursday 19 January 1888, page 4

On Saturday last a very interesting and even important event took place at Mr. Bensley’s farm, at Rsewood-namely, the starting of the Rosewood Dairy Company’s Cream Separator. Messrs. Emmott and Co., who, we believe, constitute the Dairy Company, deserve great credit for having entered on this new venture, and thereby brought the latest discoveries in science and machinery to the aid of the Rosewood farmers. Hitherto the inferior quality of butter produced during the hot season was a standing reproach to the Queensland dairymen, Rosewood not excepted. But with a Laval separator and well ventilated dairies, Father Sol is set at defiance.

The dairy is situated one part of Mr. Bensley’s farm, rented from that gentleman. The building is well ventilated, and its walls lined, and therefore not much is subjected to the effects of the sun. The cream separator is one of Laval’s large site, and capable of manipulating about sixty gallons of milk per hour. The churn is 2ft. in diameter, and square-shaped; this style of churn has come greatly into favour of late, being considered to give better results than any of its rivals. The separator and churn are driven by belts from an over-head horizontal shaft, which is set in motion by a vertical three-horse boiler and engine. The whole of the machinery has been erected by Mr. Oxenford, who is agent for this kind of machinery, and who has deserved well of Queensland by having spared no trouble to introduce it among farmers, and, without exception, it is giving great satisfaction.

About 3 o’clock in the afternoon, a start was made by Mr. Emmott turning on steam, and soon after sweet cream and skimmed milk commenced to flow, completely separated.

Success to the undertaking was then drunk in bumpers of Mr. Bensley’s best wine with suitable remarks by Messrs. Emmott and J. B. L. Isambert, M.L.A., the latter gentleman happening to be present on his way to a meeting, to be held that evening, at the Ten Mile Siding.

The dairy will be under the management of Messrs. Clark Bros., from the neighbouring colony, who are experienced dairymen.

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Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Thursday, 2 February 1888, page 3

THE ROSEWOOD DAIRY

The above heading, at first blush, seems a misanomer, because there are more dairies than one in Rosewood and in its vicinity, and they have done and are doing excellent work; but it must not he forgotten that the present age is one of progress in nearly all manufacturing and agricultural centres. Years ago hand manipulation charactorised most of the arts, but now machinery and steam assert their beneficent power, and while they lessen labour, they ensure comparative perfection of treatment. Years ago, too, butter was made almost solely by the industry of the dairymaid, who was familiar to Goldsmith-

” The swain responsive as the milkmaid sung.”

Rosewood is now feeling the influence of the recent developments of mechanical ingenuity and scientific research, which, in the case under notice, take the specific form of butter-making by a process hitherto unknown-or, at all events, untried-in that flourishing farming district; and at present there is every prospect of old things passing away and all things becoming new in this section of domestic art.

To Mr. F. C. Emmott, storekeeper, of Rosewood, is due the credit of this enterprising departure. That gentleman, having a firm belief in the capabilities of the district, as well as in its future, came to the conclusion that the possible harvest of butter in his neigheourhood was indeed great, but the facilities for its manufacture were few. Very naturally he determined to utilise the apparent opportunities that presented themselves and endeavour to improve them. Having summoned to his aid the Clarke Bros., of Victoria-both men of superior intelligence and extensive experience in dairy matters-a consultation ended in a site being fired and a resolve made that dairying should be entered into without delay.

When it became known that such a project was contemplated, it excited not a little derision from the ” old school.” In fact, we hear that Mr. Emmott was occasionally waylaid and good-humouredly remonstrated with on the Utopian nature of his undertaking; then he was seriously expostalated with; and finally given up by some as being utterly unsusceptible to reason. Still, he didn’t falter much; he knew who and what were the men whose services he had engaged; and when we left him on Tuesday evening last he gave us the impression of having his head screwed on to about the right thread.

This mention of Tuesday brings us to the text of our previous and succeeding remarks. On that day, in response to Mr. Emmott’s kind invitation, we had an enjoyable ride from Rosewood to the scene of operations, which lies on the south western side of the residence of Mr. Mark Bensley, J.P., and is, in fact, part of his estate. The dairy property consists of some seven acres, having a nice slope, and being otherwise pleasantly situated. Drawing rein there the first object that came into view was what appeared to be a pretty little cottage with galvanised iron roof. This, however, is the dairy, as is soon discovered when we entered the building, for Messrs. Clarke were at work and quite willing to afford all necessary information.

By them our fears regarding the advisability of galvanised iron roofing for a dairy were set at rest, for we learned that the walls of the structure are double walled and that the space between-some 8in.-is packed with sawdust, while 18in, of that material rests on the ceiling overhead. A glance at the thermometer, too, showed that whatever might be the heat outside, in the dairy is was only a little over 70°. This temperature will be lowered by and bye, for the proprietor proposes laying pipes some 9ft. in depth for a considerable distance up hill. On the eminence (at the instance of Mr. Clement Wraggs), something after the style of a windsail will be erected, which will drive air through the underground pipes and up through the floor of the dairy resulting, it is anticipated, in the lowering of the temperature by 10° or 12°. When this is accomplished, “all things will be lovely.”

For that matter, they are not far from that condition at present. The machinery need in the manufacture of the butter is compact, simple, ingeniuns, and wonderfully effective, and every bit of it is spotlessly clean. First and foremost is of course the engine, one of Robey’s six horse-power vertical, to which is attached a rotary force pump, with which the boiler is fed from an artificial dam a short distance away. It is the cream separator, however, that is the principal factor in the apparatus, and without which the rest would be like the play of “Hamlet” with Hamlet left out. No written description of this machine can give an adequate idea of its beautiful simplicity, or of the perfection of its several functions. In size the Laval separator is about as tall and not so large otherwise as a card-table. It consists mainly of a thick steel reservoir, lathe turned, and resembling in shape the globular well of a kerosine lamp. It terminates posteriorly in a long spindle, which rests in a wood-lined metal socket. Below this is a small wheel working in a horizontal plane, round which is passed the tiny belt from the disc, whose shaft is encircled by the belting proper. Thus communication is kept up with the engine outside, and the separator is enabled to make 7000 revolutions per minute. The milk to be treated is strained through netting into a large tin reservoir. Thence by tap it pours into a cup, and its flow therein is regulated by means of a moveable metal “float.” Consequently the dairymen can leave the machine to look after itself if they desire to attend to any other part of the business. From the cup the milk descends into the well, falling on a sort of cone, whence it is forced by the velocity of motion against a kind of fan. This action, in which the centrifugal principle is the primary element, at once separates the cream from the milk, and the impurities from both. The milk gradually forms a rising wall round the well, and the cream is slowly forced up the centre until it reaches the wells neck, when it emerges through a wee niche into a tin pan and trickles through a spout into a tin tub beneath; while the skimmed milk issues below through a small circular aparture, no bigger than a fine shot hole, into another bucket.

There are several methods of regulating the flow of milk and of cream, which if detailed might only serve to confuse our readers, and are, therefore, best omitted from our remarks.

It is worthy of mention, however, that the separator can negotiate 105 gals. of milk per hour, and that the working parts must “Go wound” (to quote one of “Helen’s Babies” in the celebrated watch episode) at the rate of from 6500 to 7000 revolutions per minute (116 per second), or the separation is not effectual. The object is attained at a pressure of from 35 to 501bs. of steam. When the separator has finished its work it is cleansed of the refuse matter which, owing to the terrific speed of the machine, becomes almost welded to the well. When this refuse is brought into daylight, it is absolutely revolting, for it is exactly like a hard cancer mashed into pulp.

“That is the sort of stuff that people eat in ordinary butter and milk,” said Mr. Richard Clarke significantly. “Yes,” added his brother with malignant humour; “we had some better than that the other day-there was more blood in it!”

This was nearly the death of the listeners, who did not recover until they had tasted Mr. Mark Bensley’s vintage of 1881. The skimmed milk is fed to pigs, and the cream is set aside for introduction to the churn, which was made by Finlayson, of Kiama, Aus-no, New South Wales. It is square in shape, capable of turning out 1501b. of butter at each churning: and as the cream falls from side to side, it requires no beaters. It, too, is worked by steam, and usually makes forty revolutions per minute. Butter is the result in from twenty-five to thirty-five minutes, and it is butter, we may remark.

On the verandah we noticed one of Lawrence’s refrigerators. It consists of a rack of double tubes, through which ice-cold water will circulate, while milk, &c., put in a concave perforated trough at the top wends its devious way down the outside of the pipes to a trough below. We may here observe that it is intended ere long to open a milk trade with Brisbane, for which there is a good prospect. It is also purposed to erect a small saw bench near the engine in order that the firewood may be cut into suitable billets.

The property consists, as we have already mentioned, of seven acres of land, and about half of it is now being fenced in as a run for pigs, 150 of which can be “supported” on the skimmed milk and one or two other articles of diet. Thus a remonerative trade with butchers is looming up in the near future, while, as the stud will consist of well-bred animals, it is anticipated that a line may be done with other purchasers. The advantage of a large clean run over the usual filthy sty is obvious, and the difference between pure skimmed milk and putrid offal must be equally patent.

It is only a fortnight since operations began, but, during that time, 1400 gallons of milk have succumbed to the persuasive powers of the separator, and the butter is sold as fat as it becomes ready. The milk is collected from the various farms, a handy sort of bucket, marked off in quarts on the inside being used for measurement. With the present appliances, 10001b. of butter could be made per week; and, as soon as the supply of milk exceeds the existing capabilities of working it up, more separators will be obtained and various improvements effected. The butter itself is delicious and wholesome, and sells at a good price. Having been relieved of impurity, it will retain its flavour and soundness, we are informed, for three weeks or a month in summer, and for three months in the winter time.

The undertaking, besides being a praiseworthy example of spirited enterprise, is, by virtue of hygnienic reasons, almost worthy of being classed as a philanthropic industry; and it is to be hoped that it will have a long and prosperous life.

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The Brisbane Courier (Qld.) Thursday 19 July 1888 page 7

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