News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-06-25
Farm Notes.

Some months pgo the subject of
testing milk was discussed by the
writer in this paper. My attention
has been called TO N statement in the
last annual Report of the Maine
State College Experiment Station.
1t says: "This matter of the vary
ing value of milk according TO it's
source is n very important one in the
case of those butter factories that
are purchasing milk instead ofcream.
When the managements of such fac
tories pay the same price for milk
containing five and one-half pounds
of fat to the hundred, as they do for
milk containing three and one-half
pounds of fat to the hundred, they
are either defrauding themselves or
doing injustice to theproducers ofrich
milk. Nothing can bemore unbusincss-
like than to purchase milk for butter
making purposes at a uniform price
without regard To quality. Some
what the same consideration pertain
to cream-gathering butter factories"
The report then shows that the
amount of cream required for "a
pound of butter has varied from %
pounds to 3.95 pounds.
In regard TO cream the report
says: 1.-THE custom so far in Maine
has been to pay the same price for
equal volumes Of cream, without re-
gard to its source. This make be
rank injustice, as the facts show.
and is eXcusable only on the ground
that no rapid and accurate method
exists for testing cream. It is true
that not until a comparatively recent
date no such method has existed,
but now we have methods that are
fairly efficient and their absence can
no longer serve as an excuse for un-
derpaying one cream producer and
overpaying another. The time has
clearly come when the butter factor-
les of Maine should deal Justly with
their patrons and take steps towards
paying for cream according to It's
butter value. Apart from other con
siderations the two facts that the
milk and cream from different breeds
of animals is so greatly unlike, and
the animals now found upon a farm
are very likely to beeither thorough
breds or grades of a single breed,
make it imperative that we shall
no longer proceed upon the old
assumption that milk is milk and
cream is cream"
The Rural New Yorker says on the
same subject: "The introduction Of
the Babcock Milk Tester gives the
patrons of the creamery where il is
used as an eye opener on the subject
of cooperation. One patron brings
milk containing five per cent of fat
while another's milk only shows ~
per cent. Under the new system, one
receives pay for five pounds of fat
while the other is paidfor 2hpounds
in the first case one made the othera
present of 1& pounds of fat in every
] 100 pounds of milk. In the second
place n man is paid for his enegry
care and study. or punished for In
failure to make the most of hi
cows"
There is food for thought in thcs
, extracts. The day is passing for Il
selling of milk TO creameries |
weight. Every render Of the New
J and Citizen who sells milk I'm this wa
should cut out the above extract
and paste them i'm his hat.
Winter dairying is another prac
tice that must come. The creamcrie
should have winter patronng
so that they can run all the year
Winter dairying is not the bugbea
many make of it. Most farmer
have little to do between last o
December and the middle of March
Chores are the main work, and II
is easier to milk lot Of cows than,
than when springs work is pressing
If COWS come in about the end oI
September, will give large amount
of milk in the fall, and will pay ial
better for their keeping through the
winter than if dried up in November
Then cows that come in IN the
spring begin to dry up in August no
matter how good the pasture, and1t
is far better to be able TO dry them
up when the pastures begin To get
short and turn them off into n back
pasture, if one is short for pasturagC
at home, than try to keep up the
flow of milk at that season OF the
wear. | believe this is the way many
farmers will meet the poorness oil
their pastures. j. W. NEWTON.