Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-08-11
TIE DAIRY.
DIFFERENT METHODS OF SETTING MILK ron
CREAM--MAKING BUTTER.

DIFFERENT METHODS OF SETTING MILK ron
cREAM--NAK1NG BUTTER.
One of the most valuable papers read last
winter at the meetings of tho board of agri-
culture was that by o. s. Bliss Of Georgia, the
former secretary of the Dairymen's Associa-
ton. lie evidently understands more thor
oughly than most writer's the subject Of which
he treats. We give below a somewhat lengthy
extract from his paper, but it would well re-
pay any one who keeps COWS 10 read the
whole of il:
In no department of productive industry
have there been heretofore such extreme and
contradictory methods and such divers means
employed for the accomplishment of the same
purpose as in that of dairying. This is due
largely to the complex nature Of milk and the
prevailing ignorance of the influences which
affect its several elements in their relations TO
one another but it is due even more largely
to the almost universal habit among practical
men Of jumping at erroneous conclusions
from the most superficial appearances. Men
generally suppose that the best evidence they
can have in regard to any matter is to see it
| for themselves, and this would undoubtedly
| be true il they saw what they think they see /;
| but the cases where men deceive themselves,
| or permit themselves to be deceived by their
own superficial habit of observation, are by
no means so rare as is generally supposed.
Said a man one day "That is the best COW
in my yard" "How do you know" was the
response. ooh, said he, "she shows "a per
cent Of cream in the cream gauge, and have
not another that shows over 1G per cent"
"But do you not know that 10 per cent. of
cream from that cow" pointing to another,
'wil make twice as much butter as "a per
cent from thisl" "Well, no; Inever thought
| of that"
1t was suggested that he try the experiment
| of setting the milk of the two cows separate
| ly for n week, and churn the cream separate
| ly, as test of the relative value Of the cows
| The experiment showed the "best COW" to be
practically worthless for butter making, though
| II is not impossible she may have been a first
| class cheese COW, and she certainly was a good
COW for the street milk-man. might present
in this connection thousands of illustrations
not all in this particular line, however, of
the manner in which dairymen allow them
| selves to be sold by their own eyes. Some
| times, again, they are not deceived so much
| by their own eyes as by the volubiliiy Of some
fellow who has something to sell them and
| does not care whether he tells the truth or
not, provided ho effects sale But their eyes
| do not protect them from the grossest imposi-
ton, which is about the same thing. One of
wanted to show me his new milk-setting ap-
| paratus. OF course / was interested and let
him spread himself. He understood his les
son as well as a subscription book agent, and
would not be interrupted by questions; but
he made twenty statements that any boy of a
dozen years, who had read an elementary
treatise on natural philosophy, ought to know
could not be correct But | know by name
more than 20 farmers who took the bait and
swallowed it, hook and all. The amount of
money wasted by dairymen every year on
fancy apparatus which an intelligent study of
the requirements of their business would have
prevented their buying, is simply enormous ;
and the time has come when dairymen must
study for themselves the principles and econ
| omies of their business, or else go to the
wall.
| But to return to my subject.
| Perhaps the most familiar instance of dia-
nletrically opposite practices for the accom-
| plishment Of the same purpose in dairying is
| the different methods OF setting milk for
cream OF old it was supposed that cream
would rise only when the milk was spread out
at very small depth Probably one of the
most extensive and thorough series Of exper-
imonts relating to dairy practice ever conduct
/ ed was to determine the most economical
depth for setting milk.
The old-styl9 common milk pan was used,
and in it the largest amount of butter from
/ any given amount OF milk was produced when
the milk was set but an inch and half deep.
| Without stopping TO inquire whether there
| might not be circumstances which would vary
this result, it was considered established that
an inch aud a half was the best depth for set
| ting milk. But subsequently il was acciden-
| tally discovered that milk in milkmen's closed
cans, packed away in ice or ice.cold water to
| keep it for future usc would raise more cream
| than when set shallow at the ordinary temper
ature, and deep-setting without any limit 9th
| er than temperature was at once mounted as a
hobby and ridden violently for a time. Nat
| urslly enough there was a drifting away from
the use Of the milknlaii's narrow can to the
more common pail, in the use of which il was
| presently discovered that there was a consid-
erable loss of butter.
Up to this time il had never been asked
whether it made more or less butter. The
first man to suspect anything wrong was one
| who had made a tub OF butter once in 30 many
days by the old method, and he could not do
it by the new. II was taken for granted that
| more cream meant more butter, and no ques.
| tions were asked. But now there arose a
fierce contest over the relative merits of the
two methods OF setting. Hundreds of loose
| and worthless experiments were made, just
about as many proving one thing as the other.
I
or made an experiment himself, but had gath
cred up and collated the reports of all those
made by others that he could get hold Of
| came to the conclusion that there must be q
big screw loose somewhere. Resolving TO &c
| to the bottom of the matter and find it, he
| began at once an elaborate series of tests rath
er than experiments, to determine precisely
all the facts bearing upon the case. Every
lead discovered was followed to the end al
whatever expense or labor. l may not stoI
to give the history of the transaction in de
tail. 1t is sufficient for our present purpose
to state that many entirely new discoveries
were made in regard to the effects which at
tend the cooling and heating of milk undei
various circumstances. Every form of vesse
known to the business was tested, and many
different forms were made on purpose TO b'
tested for peculiarities and in search of sug
gestions
Philosophy aud experiment alike point to
medium depth as most economical aud afford
ing the best results But the most astonish
ing point absolutely made in the course of tn,
investigation was that the matter of breadtl
for cold setting is many times more importan
than that of depth 1t was demonstrated owe
and over again, and confirmed by repeated
tests, that by sufficiently active cooling it wal
possible iu properly vessels Il
raise the cream from any depth up to three
feet, beyond which no tests were made. Blu
il was found that vessels not more than fou
inches wide, or those having cooling pipes in
side of them at intervals of only four inches
gave better results in the quality of the cream
and the amount of butter produced than wild
er ones 1t was also found that the mos
economical depth, all things considered, wa
about IL inches.
One of the most exact and instructive com
| petitive tests was between the common eight
inch can, 20 inches deep, such as is used Il
the Cooley, the Moseley and most other coli
creamers and creameries, and vessel mad
on purpose to hold the same amount Of milk
16t inches long, inches wide, and 16 inche
deep in the middle, with an angular or
shaped bottom, the bottom angle being righ
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