The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-11-12
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Proper Care of Milk.

portant matter that the Department OF
Agriculture has issued q special bulletin
No. 42) on the subject prepared by DR.. K.
A. Pearson, Assistant Chief, Dairy Division,
Bureau of Animal Industry, in which, after
giving much valuable information relating
TO the composition of milk, dairymen are re-
minded that milk is naturally pure pro-
duct, and iffound uncIean OF disproportionats
in its proper parts the causes are not due TO
the COW, but to the management. Milk may
be contaminal ed on the farm, by the dealer
or mikman and after delivery 10 the family
or consumer by lack of cleanliness in hand
| ling il, by being placed where flies or dust
can reach 1t, by being IN warm place, or by
being kept in an ill-ventilaied cellar. Milk
! is also subject to rapid changes due to bac-
/ terra, which may cause it To become blue,
| bitter, Shiny or rOpy, and sediment IN milk
| should always be cause for suspicion of ina
purity, as particles of dirt indicate that germs
are abundant, not overlooking the import
ant fact that dirty milk may be dangerous
as well as disgusting, as the dirt in milk
| consists mostly of particles of dead skin and
manure, which fall into the pail from the
body OF the COW during milking while dust
| in tie stable, dust and dirt in the vessels for
4
common sources of dirty sediment in milk.
Milk from unhealthy cows, or that which has
been handled By sick persons may contain
| germs of typhoid fever, diphtheria etc, and
! spread the disease. Any milk having an un-
natural appearance should be discarded.
The change to which milk is most liable
| is souring and the best agents TO prevent
| this are heat and cold There should be no
difficulty in keeping milk sweet at a tenn
perature of so degrees if it is delivered in
good condition, and it should keep for at
least "a hours. 1t should be cold when de-
livered and at once put in cold place. In
Summer milk will sometimes become sour
when no cause can be assigned, which per-
haps may be traced tc the refrigerator, as it
may seem cold on account OF the great diff
ference between its temperature and that OF
the outside, while in fact it is not cold. Pas
teurzation of milk is a process of heating so
as not to cook the milk jet destroy any
germs that may be present. One or more
bottles nearly full are plugged with dry abb
sorbent cotton and placed in an upright yes
sci having a false bottom and containing
| enough water to rise above the milk in the
bottles. The vessel is then heated until the
water is, 50 degrees in Winter or $50 degrees
in Summer 1t is then removed and kept
lightly covered for an honr, a heavy cloth
being thrown over it to retain the heat The
bottles are then cooled quickly and kept in
cool place. The cotton plugs should be
kept dry and not removed until the milk is
to be used. Milk so treated should keep "a
hours. In Summer it may be necessary to
bring the milk to the boiling point if special
precautions against disease are deemed
necessary.
On well-conducted dairy farm the con-
ditions should be perfect. The stable
should be roomy, light, dry, aud well ven-
tilated, and the cows must be comfortable
in order to have them healthy at all times.
The cows must also have access at least
twice day to pure water, and the food
| should be of the best quality, free from
dirt, decay, or a musty condition. The at
mosphere of the stable should be pure and
free from dirt when milking Is done, and
employees should carefully wipe the udders
and wash their hands before milking, and
also be in clean clothes. The cows should
stand on clean litter, and not on dirty
stuff which could be used nowhere else.
The animals should be treated with kind
ness. Every dairy farm should be provided
with utensils for washing and steriiizing
milk, and for straining aeratiDg, and cover
ing the milk (which should be done as soon
as the milk is taken from the cows the
u ensls to be washed thoroughly and
scalded. The price of milk should depend
upon its quality, that containing the larger
proportion of fat being the more valuable, as
it costs the farmer more to produce rich
milk than poor, while the consumer will be
better served. When farmers can satisfy
their customers that the milk has been
tested and graded according to fat contained,
the milk in each can will be sold upon it's
merits, and the farmer will be paid accord
ing to the quality of his milk. Such con-
dition will surely lead to better breeds of
stock, the destruction of diseased animals,
greater confidence between producer and
consumer, and larger profits to all classes
connected with or dependent upon the dairy
industry.
Farm Notes.
Geraniums are common, it is true but il
would be hard to name more useful plants
than they. They flower all Summer long,
and all large parks and gardens rely largely
ON them for Summer decorations. Plants
, are raised from cuttings made towards Fall.
, A shallow box may be filed with soil and
! sand and the cuttings set in it, about two
: to three inches apart. They can remain in
the box until towards Spring, when they
should be pOtted singly to make good bed
ding plants.
Concerning growing peaches in the gar
! den, american Gardening says: The possi-
bilities of well-cared-for trees In the home
/ garden are scarcely to be imagined. If one
build small chicken-yard about newly
set tree, he may have the tree in bearing
next year, and with head equal to that of
the ordinary tree set twice as long The
chance Seeding, in rich and favorable situa-
7 tions, may give two bushels of choice fruit
at four years from seed, without q particle
: of culture.
In every old orchard there will be found
. some trees which are an injury to the farmer
G every year they remain in their present
> position, producing nothing themselves and
!. lessening the product of neighboring trees.
e All old orchards need more fertility and also
T more room for each tree to ripen and perfect
1 its fruit. Removing trees that have for years
!. numbered the ground, taking room thai
a might be worth something if they were out
| is often the best way to restore orchards to
8 productiveness.
: A grape vine, or any other kind of vine,
l. trained on an arbor over the cistern or wei!
: will not only keep the water cooler during
a the hot season, but furnishes very inviting
= shade to the farmer who comes in hot from
!; the field and thirsting for cool drink.
. Prof. Blount of the Colorado Station, says
. | a bushel of Clean sound wheat of average
!, size contains 49,, 900 kernels, and that hall
,1%ar< ho1f hal ,leo oo6