Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-11-01
From the Rura
Setting Milk.
DEF vs.. SHALLOW rASs-NruSo MILK.

Farmers are beginning to study economy of
labor in their operations more earnestly
driven to it by the fall in prices Of products
with little or no fall in wages. The handling
Of milk in the butter dairy has ever borne
hard upon the farmers wife, If the milk
usually put into twenty to thirty ten quart
pans could be set in one large circular pan,
seven inches deep, the skimming washing the
pan and handling the milk would be much less
than with the small pans. Besides, if each
milking from dairy Of cows were set in
single pan, the various qualities would all be
mingled together and the cream be more uni
form than with each cows milk in separate
pans. One cows milk will sour earlier, and
the cream from it rise earlier than another
but if all are mingled together, all must be-
come Of one quality So there are many CO.
gent reasons why a single milking from a dairy
Of cows should be set in one large deep pan.
if as much butter can be obtained by deep
setting.
There have appeared at various times state
ments asserting il as a fact that deep setting
yielded as much or more cream and butter as
shallow or ordinary setting Desiring, if well
founded, to adopt this system in our own dai-
ry, we examined many of those cases Of deep
setting, but failed to find single comparative
trial that really tested the question. A GER
tain amount Of milk set deep at one time and
a like amount set shallow at another time or
one cows milk set deep and another shallow,
does not offer a satisfactory test, since the
quality of the milk, the temperature and va
rious other considerations may influence the
particular trial The only way we could dis
cover to make fair comparative test was to
take quantity of milk well mingled together
and deprived Of its animal heat by cooling
and stirring, and then divide it, setting one.
half shallow and one half deep.-tbus giving
each an equal chance under the same circum-
stances. Accordingly, on the 18th of July,
at evening we tried the
FIRST EXPERIMENT
by cooling LAG pounds of milk in a broad
mouthed, twenty gallon can, down to 76' by
placing it in tub Of water and stirring
then weighed out 70 pounds and set in pals
y inches deep, and like amount in pans
q inches deep. The morning following, ll0I
pounds were thus cooled and set half each
way-thus l2S pounds had been set, the same
amount deep and shallow, consisting of a
days milk from the same cows This milk
was set in a milk room which kept at
temperature of Csc to zoe. The nights milk
was skinned 3G hours after setting, and the
mornings milk 20 hours-al sour, some
thunder during the time The cream from
each way Of setting was placed in a cool well
over night, before churning Deep setting
produced four pounds eight ounces of butter
shallow setting five pounds four ounces. Deep
setting took 2S.44 pounds Of milk for pound
Of butter. Shallow setting took 24.3S pounds
Of milk for pound of butter. This result
somewhat surprised us, as there was more
bulk Of cream from the pals than the pans
but it is probable that more milk was taken
with the cream from the pals. On the Goth
day Of July We tried the
SECOND EXPERIMENT
by setting at evening "a pounds of milk aft.
or being mixed and cooled as before to S0'--
the one-half in pals 7 inches deep and the
other half in pans u iuches. The follow
ing morning lS4 pounds of milk were cool
cd and set in the same way, making l66
pounds Of milk set deep, and like amount
set shallow, after being all mingled and
rendered Of uniform quality. The wealth
er was more favorable, that is, cooler
than on the former trial. The milk in
pals got sour in SO hours in pans, ~
hours. 1t was all skinned at one time
The cream was cooled over night as before.
l66 pounds of milk produced from deep set
ting five pounds FIVE ounces of butter from
shallow setting six pounds six ounces. Deep
setting took 81 .26 pounds of milk for pound
ofbutter. Shallow setting took 2604 pounds
of milk for pound Of butter. We have no
doubt that the greater quantity of milk re-
quired for pound Of butter was caused by
the deficient cooling Of the milk (S00) before
setting, and this operated worse on pals than
pans. Yet the weather being cooler ought,
perhaps, to counterfeit this, and the milk did
not sour as soon as in the first trial This
second trial seemed to point the same way as
the first, only more strongly against deep set
ting. Wishing to give it iairer trial as to
temperature, on the 18th day of August, at
evening we tried the
THIRD EXPERIMENT,
under more favorable circumstances. W.
had pan 80 inches in diameter, 10 nche,
deep, set inside of tub 40 inches 10 diane
ter, and surrounded by spring water. We
put 100 pounds of milk into this pan and
cooled it down to 6S', stirring while cooling
50 pounds of this cooled milk were set deer
and 30 pounds shallow. The following morn
ing LIZ pounds of milk, cooled to the sam,
degree, in the same way, were set half deer
and half shallow, thus making lS2 pounds O.
milk set deep, and the same amount shallow
In this case the deep and shallow setting al
sourcd together in 36 hours. When churned
the deep setting gave six pounds, four ounces
OF butter F; the shallow setting seven pounds
Tour ounces Deep setting required 1886
pounds Of milk to one Of butter, shallow set.
ting 24.96 pounds of milk to one of butter
These experiments seem TO all point one
way, and that against deep setting, and we dc
not see how the trial could be more equal OF
more fair to both modes, unless the milk could
be kept at a uniform temperature of CO.
which, from various trials we believe to yield
the most cream-a lower temperature being
unfavorable to the liberation Of the cream.
neighbor Of mine has used, for some
months, 80 inch circular pans surrounded by
water in tubs milk set about even inches
deep, in milk room kept at temperature
not above &C., He has not made any com.
parative tests, but has sometimes weighed hi,
milk when set. On the 25th of June he SET
All pounds of milk, cooled to and kept al
&C., SKINNED at 3S hours, and yielded Is
pounds Of butter or pound Of butter to
21.2s pounds of milk, which, so far as deep
setting is concerned, does not differ much from
our first and third experiments. Our neigh.
Dor said he thought he obtained as much but
ter from deep as shallow setting, but had not
tried comparative tests by dividing milking
and setting half each way in fact, he jugded
from the quantity obtained from certain
number Of cows, or comparing the quality of
milk. This he was ready to admit was not
reliable test. We fear most, if not all.
the statements have no better basis. We
wish it were otherwise for we had strong
desire that deep should be as economical
OF butter as shallow setting, and still should
be glad to find some error in our experiments,
reversing the conclusion. We hope others
will make accurate comparative tests and re-.
port.