=zO6> 
     
     in the home of Angus Darrach, with daughter, Blanche, as chief operator. 
     
    

    
     For years, milk was placed in cylindrical containers, about three foot 
     
     in height, called "creamers." To bring the cream to the surface for 
     
     skimming, they were immersed in a spring, if one happened to be conveniently 
     
     close to the house, or sus pended half-way down the well. About 1905, the 
     
     first mechanical separator appeared on the local market. In this, as with 
     
     the gramophone, Grandfather Devereux was the district pioneer, with the 
     
     purchase of a machine called the "Magnet." Neighbors came to watch the 
     
     device in operation; a few decided to buy, but the majority preferred to 
     
     wait and see how the new-fanfled gadget stood up under prolonged use. Two 
     
     other typps were soon available; the "De Laval," and the "Sharples." 
     
    

    
     My father bought a’ Sharples. All three brands gave hichly satisfactory 
     
     service over years of use. To each purchaser of a cream separator, the 
     
     sales representative presented a metal plaque bearing the legend "We Use 
     
     The Blank Separator," with the request that it be placed in some part of 
     
     the premises where it would be easily visible from the highway. -- a shrewd 
     
     sales promotion gimmick combined with a prestige indicator for the furmer. 
     
    

    
     After the cream had soured, it was made into butter in the old dasher 
     
     churn.- This job usually fell toa youngster, and it was as monotonous and 
     
     unrewarding an assignment us could be imagined. We welcomed the advent of 
     
     the barrel churn which was operated by a crank or a lever. The spinning 
     
     barrel made us feel that we were getting a bit of action in exchange for 
     
     our labor. : 
     
    

    
     Throughout the rural communities, water was secured from sunken wells 
     
     operated by hand pump or windlass. All sanitary facilities were of the 
     
     outdoor variety. For that matter, the city of Charlottetown, at the time 
     
     I attended Prince of Wales College, had a long way to go in this respect. 
     
     Many homes depended for their water supply on. open wells, and by far the 
     
    
   
   
    
     greater number were still in the age of oil lamps. Much of the street