The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-11-04
A Source of Tainted Milk.

In this locality, and doubtless in
every other one, where there has been
heavy rain, the COWS are seeking every
slough for cooling purposes, as well as
to rid themselves of the flies. This
means that the udder and stomach of
the animal become plastered with a
layer of slough mud, containing an i'm
mense number of putrefactive bacteria.
AS soon as the mud becomes dry, it is
in the best possible condition for SOW
ing the milk with putrefactive germs
and thus preparing it for all kind of
taints, gassy cu.d. and off flavor butter.
The best we can do in this moist, warm
weather, we cannot prevent large ex-
cess of the normal bacteria from grow
ing in the milk, but there is no neces-
sity for adding to this number by al
lowing the COW to carry them from the
stagnant pond or slough, to the milk
pail, on her udder. The buttermaker
has troubles enough of his own without
the farmer adding to them by means of
slough mud or dirty drinking water,
The farmer may not see it, he evidently
does not; but every mess of dirty or
tainted milk he carries to the factory,
is so much money out of his pocket,
The tainted milk may be accepted
through the nes ligence or friendship of
the butter maker, but the butter buyer
is not apt to show any such weakness,
and the price of that butter is put
about where it belongs. and the far
mer's pocket book suffers accordingly.
-Hoards Dairyman.
When the farmers of the United
States can pay off debts to the extent
of two hundred million dollars in two
years they are doing very well.
Wheat and Dairy.
1t is constantly becoming more and
more certain that the great dairy CEN
I-r Of the Union will ultimately be in
the Northwest, if it is not already
here. AS the empire Of wheat moved
westward in obedience to natural
laws that no human power could re.
sist, so the empire OF butter and
cheese has moved west, also in obed-
ence TO irresistible natural laws.
Fertile lands, pure water, matchless
grasses, grains at the lowest cost of
production, climate that makes for
the health and vigor OF stock and the
greatest energy Of man are among
the forces that have established the
kingdom Of the dairy in the states of
Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and the
Dakotas. The empire of wheat has
ceased it's westward march; it has
found its ideal seat, and here it will
reign while time lasts, made more
permanent and more beneficial
because supplemented by the dairy
cow. She is not rival but the ally
of wheat In her presence and within
her influence wheat attains it's great
est glory, confers it's choicest bless.
ings. The cow makes necessary the
rotation Of crops; she silently but
surely makes for better cultivation;
for more intensive because more In
telligent effort; she is the CONSERVATION
and hOmekeeper of the soils fertility,
and these things make for more pro.
titable wheat growing; possibly make
for less acres Of wheat, but surely for
more bushels Of better quality to
the acre. The COW is also developer
of other stock interests, the hog is at
its best where the COW is. and wheat is
at it's best where all stock is, and so
in standing for the alliance of cow
and wheat we are standing for the
best, all along the line.
One of the first things to be done
in order to make dairying pay is to
find out which of the cows in herd
are not paying for their keeping. and
then get rid Of them. II the poorest
third of the milk cows in the whole
northwest were weeded out of the
herds, the profits of the dairyman in
these states mOuld prOhob1u bo in
creased fifty per cent.
II you do not believe in milking the
COW from one calf to the next, she
ought then to give milk at least ten
months in the year. Too many of our
cows do too much lOafing.
Every farmer should have a stable
that can be darkened into which TO
put his cows morning and evening
during milking time. Being in a
darkened room the flies do not trouble
Them and they stand q'Iietly while
being MIXED, and are glad to be
freed from the pests which torment
them when outside the stable. A
COW must have patience in an unusual
degree 80 stand quietly and be MIXED
wniie the flies are sucking blood from
almost every part of her body: and
because she kicks and fiops her tail to
drive off these insects the patience of
the mixer becomes taxed and the
poor beast is too frequently beaten
and kicked, because she tries to rid
herself of the flies that are biting
her. Try dark stable fer milking
and you will never be satisfied with