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.. 4 .. cheese was made. This cheese weighed over 7,000 pounds and was shown at the New York State Fair in 1866, and later at Toronto and Hamilton before being sent to England in 1867. This was the basis of developing a future British market for Canadian cheese. This district of West Oxford prospered accordingly, and James Harris found his factory too small and in 1882 he moved to a new location near Salford where the factory operated for many years. Over the years, the Ranney operation influenced others, and cheese factories appeared across Oxford County. Coupled with the climate and soil for dairy cattle, Oxford was a prime place for the cheese industry and by 1870 Canada was shipping 300,000 boxes of cheese to Britain annually. Mrs. Ranney was one hundred years of age on September 22, 1900 and she died in the spring of 1901. Before her death, she saw her modest efforts of cheese-making grow into a county-wide industry with factories replacing farm methods and an export trade bringing fame and prosperity to Oxford County. Her profound influence on Oxford County can be seen by the growth of cheese factories, as in 1904 there were 200 cheese factories in Oxford. We owe our thanks to Lydia Ranney who, through capable organization and constant energy, made a lasting contribution to Salford and Oxford County. On October 5, 1933 a branch of Women's Institute in South Oxford was organized at the home of Mrs. Peyton Ranney at Salford. Mrs. Ranney was the first President of the Salford Branch. Peyton Ranney is a great grandson of Hiram and Lydia Ranney.