James Ballantyne MacEwan and the cheese industry

James Ballantyne MacEwan the seventh child of John and Agnes McEwan was 15 at the time of the 1881 census. He was living in the fieldstone house overlooking Black Creek along with his parents and six other siblings including his married 28 year old brother Alexander whose wife Mary was expecting their first child in the Fall.  John McEwan the originator of the clan was now 60 and his wife Agnes was 55. The census listed James and his younger brother Arthur as attending school.  I suspect that meant the local elementary school.  (The closest secondary school would have been in Stratford, and given the distance and the expense of boarding in town, I imagine that secondary school was not possible.)  There is evidence that the McEwan boys spent much time at the Black Creek cheese factory which was built on the corner of their property.  Some years later  James reminisced: "I started to learn the business of cheese making when a mere boy. I was in the Ingersoll district and was taught to cool the milk.  I remember that one season our maker never put water to the milk or cooled it in any way and the cheese had that beautiful nutty flavor so much desired and so seldom realized." (Attached is a picture of the cheese factory where James learned his skills.)

 By the spring of 1991 James was living in Stratford in a Hotel where he was one of close to 20 lodgers. The census lists his occupation as a Cheese B__ er.  ( I cannot decipher the word. See picture. Any ideas?)  By this time James' uncle Thomas Ballantyne was a member of the Ontario Legislature and a leader in the Dairymen's Association where he continued his strong advocacy for an apprenticeship system for cheese makers, the creation of dairy schools for training and an inspection and supervision system for cheese factories.  As part of his continued involvement in cheese making Thomas Ballantyne was the first to introduce the Babcock system for testing the butterfat content of milk. It may be that Thomas Ballantyne had a part to play in the job in Ottawa for which James (Mac) MacEwan was hired in 1891.  In a report to the federal Minister of Agriculture prepared by the Dairy Commissioner for the Dominion of Canada dated Ottawa, 30th January 1891. The Commissioner notes that the paper would also contain an report from J B MacEwan in which:

 "1. Mr MacEwan reports on the work of testing milk by the Babcock tester at the dairy on the Central Experimental Farm

2. He was released from his engagement as one of my assistants for five months of the summer in order to act as dairy instructor for the Dairymen's Association of Eastern Ontario, He visited 184 cheese factories met 244 cheese makers and held 20 meetings

 3. He reports on certain faults which he found prevalent in connection with cheese factories and cheese making, He states that he observed the effects of very much carelessness as to condition and appearance of the buildings and that he found a tendency on the part of cheese makers to over ripen the milk before adding the rennet

 4. He reports on the work at the butter making station at Wellman's Corners Ont of which he was put in charge after he returned from his leave of absence. The Dairy Station was used in some measure as a school of instruction during the winter. Twenty three cheese makers visited it during the winter to learn something of the art of making butter He attended 12 meetings. Reference to the work which they severally did in Ontario during part of the season will be found also in the reports of Messrs T J Dillon PEI C C Macdonald Quebec and E Cornett Manitoba".

 In the next blog I will include portions of James' report:  A report demonstrating his ability to write in a style reflective of his intelligence and the quality of his education. 

M(a)cEwans and cheese (pt. 4)

The Black Creek cheese factory was originally a cooperative with the local farmers providing the capital.  “in 1868 the price of cheese dropped suddenly and the industry briefly contracted.  As the number of Black Creek’s patrons tumbled from 120 to 30, Ballantyne sold his farm and with the help of a provincial grant, bought the factory outright” (Dictionary of Canadian Biography).  Of course, it would be interesting to know whether John McEwan and all the Ballantyne connections were patrons of the factory and whether they lost money in the contraction of 1868 but I have never heard any stories of disagreements over the factory.  During this period there was potential for a large export market to Britain but only if cheese of consistent quality and volume could be produced. The factory system was central to this vision and Ballantyne became a strong advocate for training skilled cheesemakers and demanding the highest standard of cleanliness and sanitation. Gordon’s father John drew milk from neighbouring farmers to the Black Creek Factory. Here is a story told by Gordon many years later.  It illustrates the challenges that Thomas Ballantyne faced in insuring the highest quality of professionalism in his factory.  “On John’s (i.e. John McEwan the grandson of the original John) route was a half-mad woman, who had won for herself acclaim by chasing the tax collector to the road at the end of a pitch-fork.  My fearful recollection of her was a slim, supple-looking woman with gray hair piled in a myriad of wisps about her face and tied in a knot at the back of her head.  Wild eyes indicated the dangers to be discovered in this strange and dangerous woman who appeared to wear the same apparel at all times – a woollen upper-garment, a pair of rubber boots and a piece of filthy sacking strapped to her waist by binder-twine. One morning, John picked up her milk as usual but when the cheesemaker was examining the first can, he discovered an errant cat had tumbled in to meet a milky death.  The cheesemaker holding the milk-drenched feline gingerly turned to John and said. “Well, Jack, you have the welcome job of taking her milk back to her.  We’ll bury the cat.” You can imagine that John quickly deposited the cans on her milk-stand that day and sped the horses on their way. However, the story is not done because the next morning as his team trotted westward, he noted her cans plus the mistress of the estate gathered by her milk-stand.  As the team was pulled to a halt, she went straight to the point: “McEwan, why did you bring my milk home yesterday?” John told the story attempting, if possible, to mollify her and let her see the reason of the happening.  When he had finished, she summarized her position clearly and finally: “McEwan, if you ever bring my milk home again, I’ll put the dung fork through you.” Then, having stated her case, she strode into the house.  John, however, found a way of placating her.  When her milk was considered unfit by the factory, John dumped it into the ditch and filled the cans with whey and because she could  neither read nor do mathematics she simply cashed her cheque"and life carried on.  The attached internet picture from an unknown factory is what it may have looked like as the driver's pulled up to unload their milk at the cheese factory.
Addendum: I now realize that Gordon's cat story above is from a later period when the factory had been transferred in ownership to Thomas' son William Wallace Ballantyne.