A NEW HAMPSHIRE INDUSTRY.

Five years ago last month the village of New Boston was visited by a conflagration which swept away its public buildings, business blocks and very many of its homes, bringing disaster to its inhabitants,-mostly farmers.

The financial condition of the people was such that for a time the place seemed doomed to become of no account. It was in their hour of need that relief came through a fellow-townsman who went out to seek his fortune when a mere lad, and who, by honest effort, had won success.

To J. Reed Whipple, now of Boston, belongs the credit and honor of making his native town what it is to-day. New Boston is fifteen miles from Manchester and six miles distant from the railroad. It is a delightfully healthy spot, and is rapidly becoming a popular summer resort. Many of its beautiful shade trees were destroyed by the fire, as well as its churches, school-house and lumber mill. At present, however, there are few, if any, traces of the great disaster, and the transformation seems almost magical. Through the liberality of Mr. Whipple, who has freely donated thousands of dollars in rebuilding the fire-swept district, there has been erected a fine public library, hall, stores, and last but not least the creamery which I propose to make the subject of this brief sketch. It was erected for several objects, but chiefly to help fill the pockets of the poor farmers in the vicinity, as nothing else could do.

This creamery, although not the largest, is probably the best equipped and most conveniently arranged of any in the country. It was built at a cost of $20,000. It is four stories high including basement, and of the Queen Anne style of architecture, heated by steam throughout, and has every modern appliance. The basement floor is used exclusively for butter making, which is done in the most skillful manner by Swedish dairy maids who have had years of training in their native country, and whose work cannot be surpassed. Here also are located the engine rooms, which are separated from the butter-making apartments by a birch wall impervious to heat; also the large refrigerator and store rooms.

The second floor is divided into three rooms and a private office, the latter finished and furnished in antique oak, with its walls hung with costly paintings, suggestive of the

dairy industry. Into the first of these rooms is received all the milk, cream and ice, and here also are two DeLaval steam turbine cream separators, through which a greater part of the milk is run to extract, in a most perfect manner, the cream. Then there are several large cooling tanks, in which are kept the cans of cream imbedded with tons of pure ice. A voluminous water-tank is here, supplied with pure spring water from the adjacent hill, to which ice is added to give the required temperature. This water is used in the butter-making room below.

In the second room are cream-tempering vats, in which all the cream is stored and prepared for churning into butter. Each vat contains 200 gallons of cream, which, when it has arrived at just the proper stage, is run through tin tubes into the large churns in the basement. The churns are revolved at the rate of fifty revolutions per minute for the space of one hour.

The dairy maids, in their snowy caps, jackets and aprons, with spotless hands wash the butter, removing all traces of buttermilk, and then it is placed on the butterworking machine, where it is sprinkled with salt and mixed sufficiently to evenly distribute it through the butter and no more. Then comes the rolling and packing process, all of which is very interesting to witness.

The daily product of the creamery is not far from 650 pounds of butter, 100 gallons of pure cream, and 300 gallons of pure Jersey milk, all of which is shipped direct to Mr. Whipple's Boston hotels-Young's and the Parker House-in private refrigerator cars, of which he has the exclusive use. The third room on this floor is for can washing and sundry useful purposes.

The third and fourth floors are conveniently fitted up and occupied by the superintendent, Mr. O. A. Newton, who has been in charge of the creamery since it was built, and who is thoroughly in earnest in keeping up this industry. Many of the arrangements and conveniences are of his own invention. He is a man of wide experience and ability. Mr. Newton is a native of Henniker, N. H.,. where he owns a nice farm, which he keeps up with a great deal of pride aad care. He is the nephew of Mr. Parker Pillsbury of Concord, N. H., and cousin of AdjutantGeneral A. E. Pillsbury of Boston, and the Hon. Gilbert Pillsbury, formerly mayor of Charleston, S. C., after the close

of the war. His aunt, Mrs. Gilbert Pillsbury, is the author of that remarkable book, entitled "Blue Blood," which so clearly depicts the evils of slavery, as witnessed by the author during her residence in the South. He is a selfmade man, in every respect, and is still in the prime of life. The question naturally arises as to how the creamery is supplied with milk. Four two-horse teams are continually going round among the farmers gathering up the cream, which is produced by what is called the Cooly process. From all sections milk is also delivered to the creamery daily, about 150 farmers supplying it, embracing nearly every farm within a radius of seven miles. Liberal prices are paid for the milk and cream, making the same an unfailing source of revenue for the farmers. The number of employés used in carrying on the entire business is about forty.

Another interesting thing the writer learned is that in the engine room of the creamery is located a steam fire pump, which can be used to advantage in case of fire, and which, by using sufficient hose, can be used on any house within the limits of the village.

Nearly half a mile away is a large piggery, owned by Mr. Whipple, with a population, at the present time, of about 1,000 pigs. A large amount of the skim milk at the creamery is forced through a pipe to the animals, and is eagerly devoured.

The farmers, once thriftless, discouraged and seedy, are now enjoying a far different sort of a life, with money in their pockets. The village has a history familar to many readers, and the old church on the hill still stands looming up toward the clouds. It is owned by two ladies, who were devout and life-long worshippers, until the new church was demanded and finished. Much could be written of the many historical places about this attractive village, did space permit. What is needed most is better railroad facilities, and it is only a question of a very short time when the efforts of J. Reed Whipple will meet with a just reward. The charter is already granted, and a company organized for the construction of the road. Probably no town in New England has so quickly risen from insignificance to importance and prosperity as has New Boston. All honor then to the man who has been the "power behind the throne" effecting this result.

M. H. B.

MUSICAL DEPARTMENT.

CONDUCTED BY H. G. BLAISDELL.

N. H. MUSIC TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.

The 3d annual meeting of the New Hampshire Music Teachers' Association, which occurs at Weirs the last full week of July, promises to be of unusual interest. The talent already enlisted includes, as pianists, Martha Dana Shepard and Mr. Benj. W. Welpley of Boston, in addition to our own well-known resident artists. Mr. Fred Jameson, the eminent tenor from New York, is expected. Mr. Arthur J. Hubbard, basso, Mr. Fred G. Bond, baritone, Boston, Miss Jennie Woodward, contralto, Lowell, and Mrs. Nellie Guertin Clark of Coös, soprano, who, by the way, is one of the most promising vocalists in the state. Among the instrumental soloists we find Wolff Fries, the veteran cellist, Miss Lillian Chandler, violiniste, from Boston, and Miss Ethel Franklin Ellis of New York. The lecturers include Prof. Louis C. Elson, Boston, and Mr. O. B. Brown, Malden. The presence of these, in connection with our resident musicians, ought to insure a very delightful and profitable week of music, which will not only interest, but be of infinite benefit to teachers and music-lovers generally.

It is almost beyond human power to raise many of the teachers, or pretended teachers, of music in New Hampshire above the influences of jealousy and prejudice. Petty difficulties, which begin in country church choirs, are handed down from year to year and only disappear as people become more intelligent and educated. It is the man or teacher who is afraid of comparison, or that his or her work shall be known at its real worth, who are susceptible to these baleful influences. There are many teachers in the state who ask the public to send their children to them, to be instructed in this beautiful and Divine art, who have never taken any pains, or spent any money, to keep posted or to become proficient in the work they affect to understand and impart. There are teachers of music in our New Hampshire schools who have "thrown cold water" on this enterprise from the beginning, who would rather go to

the Point of Pines for a day, than to unite with the "faithful few" in a meeting to discuss the best methods of improving the standard and instructing the young. They are not sufficiently interested to send even a single dollar for a season ticket in aid of this enterprise. It may be safely predicted, however, that such persons must soon step down and out, giving place to teachers of brains, education and power.

Let us hope that there will be a general effort this year to make this meeting one of great benefit, not only to teachers, but to the art itself. Send names, enclosing one dollar with each, to E. M. Temple, Secretary, Nashua, N. H., and obtain members' tickets, admitting to every lecture, rehearsal and concert during the week.

CONCORD TROUBADOURS' CONCERT.

The concert by the Concord Troubadours, assisted by a string quintette from Blaisdell's orchestra, at Phenix hall, Thursday evening, June 2, was successful in every way. The young men who compose the club are most earnest lovers of music and faithful workers, and their efforts at this concert were indeed a source of great pleasure to their many friends and patrons. We think this is the only club of male voices in the state. If young men in our large towns would organize such clubs as this, and work to further the interests of the art, as well as for their own accomplishment, it would be of infinite value to mankind. The performance of Master Cotton was very satisfactory, as were the solos by Mr. Benedict. It seemed to us that the music by the string quintette was finely finished and worthy of some mention, a fact, however, which the local press was unmindful of.

The Schubert Club of Laconia closed its season May 19 by a performance of Planquette's opera, "Chimes of Normandy." It was, all things considered, a very creditable performance. It seems a great waste of time and energy for a chorus to put so many rehearsals and evenings of hard work into music of this character, to be performed only once and then forgotten. Very little or no good, from an educational point of view, can ever be realized therefrom.