Ranney, 1856, Dairy System.


        Ranney began with just two cows,
        Which he in winter fed on browse,
        And now he hath got mighty herds
        Numerous as flock of birds,
        May he long live our hearts to cheer
        This great and useful pioneer.

James McIntyre

James McIntyre was a Canadian poet, most notable for his poetry concerning cheese, cheese-making, dairying, and dairy products. Often referred to as 'The Cheese Poet,' McIntyre's work is celebrated for its earnestness and unintentional humor, making him both a beloved and an infamous figure in literary circles. He emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1851 and settled in Ingersoll, Ontario, where he became a successful businessman and community leader.

James McIntyre

The Shires On The Moray Frith.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

Niagara Dry.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

Farrington, 1866, Factory System.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

Caledonia Springs, New York.

James McIntyre, Simple Poetry

English

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Lines Read at a Parsonage Opening at the Village where Ranney had once flourished, 1883.

        Some do boast of their pedigrees,
        But Salford's parent of the cheese,
        Ranney, industrious and wise,
        Here started this great enterprise.

        He did work on the dairy plan,
        While Farrington was factoryman,
        Both of these men it well did please
        To hear of progress making cheese.

        The farmers are in cheerful mood,
        For harvest all it has been good,
        And all the grain was sown this spring
        An abundant yield will bring.

        And you can scarcely stow away
        The yield of barley, oats and hay,
        Such pasture it is seldom seen,
        E'en now it is so fresh and green.

        This beauteous colour nature decks,
        While it insures yo...

James McIntyre

Father Ranney, The Cheese Pioneer.

This is our earliest cheese ode. The Ingersoll factory has been removed to Thamesford.

        When Father Ranney left the States,
        In Canada to try the fates,
        He settled down in Dereham,
        Then no dairyman lived near him;
        He was the first there to squeeze
        His cows' milk into good cheese,
        And at each Provincial show
        His famed cheese was all the go.

        Then long life to Father Ranney
        May he wealth and honour gain aye.

        He always took the first prize
        Both for quality and size,
        But many of his neighbors
        Now profit by his labors,
        And the ladies dress in silk
        From the proceeds of the milk,
        But those who buy their butter,

James McIntyre

Windmills And Stone Stables.

        Cows suffered in the days of old
        For want of water and from cold,
        Now of good water they have fill
        For it is pumped by the windmill.

        No matter how well cows were fed
        They suffered cold in their board shed,
        But good stone walls now them enfold,
        And they are warm and safe from cold.

        Now they do enjoy their fodder,
        And repay with their full udder,
        If bran slops you on cow bestow
        Of milk it will increase the flow.

        And in your efforts do not halt
        But let them daily lick the salt,
        And never let the dogs them chase,
        But let them walk at their quiet pace.

James McIntyre

Dairy Odes.

        The sweet milkmaid of early days
        Her own household she ably sways,
        And her daughters now milk the cows,
        And her sons they now guide the plows.

        These pleasing changes on a farm
        Doth give to rural life a charm,
        Let occupation none upbraid,
        But honor plowman and milkmaid.

        For Burns with glory did endow
        And wove a garland round the plow,
        The source from which all wealth doth spring
        And happiness to all doth bring.

        Our muse it doth refuse to sing
        Of cheese made early in the spring,
        When cows give milk from spring fodder
        You cannot make a good cheddar.

        The quality is often vile
        Of cheese that is ...

James McIntyre

Four Acre Farm.

        This is a tale, but it is truth,
        Of maiden lady named Ruth,
        She owned a small four acre farm,
        Which possessed some rural charm.

        This maiden she was past her youth,
        But none e're fell in love with Ruth,
        Though you must not infer from thence
        That she possessed not grace nor sense.

        She was handsome in her day,
        But beauty quickly fades away,
        Good vegetables and fine roots
        She growed and choicest kind of fruits.

        And a first-class good milch cow
        She kept, and a fine breeding sow,
        Her butter high price did command,
        Cow fed on best of pasture land.

        On it was pond where swam her geese,
        From small fl...

James McIntyre

Farrington, 1866, Factory System.

        The farmers they now all make rich
        Since Farrington went to Norwich,
        And the system first there began
        Of making cheese on factory plan;
        He came from Herkimer county,
        To Canada he was a bounty;
        Norwich village moved but slow,
        Till railways made it quickly grow,
        And industries here now take root,
        The township's famous for its fruit.

James McIntyre