The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-04-29
KEEPING. MILK N sUs1mEI.


KEEPIssG MILK IN sUsImEx.
Deliveries MADE Regularly In tlaej
Hottest weather ana Pr0duct
In Good Condition when 40
Hours Old.
H. NJ. C0ttrell OF the Kansas agricul-
tural college. tells in the Industrialist OF
handling milk SO as to keep IL in good
condition for delivery to a creamery.
He tells how he was able to deliver reg
ularly through the hottest summer
weather milk that was 40 hours old.
His letter will be interesting to creamery
patrons and is given in full as follows:
During the summer Of 1898 the milk
from the college herd Of thirty cows was
sent to the Manhattan creamery. Our
object in sending the milk to the cream
cry instead Of making hutter was to
test how cheaply milk could be handled
and yet be delivered in good condition,
and how few and cheap things could be
used to keep milk sweet for sufficient
time so that Saturday nights and Sun
dav mornings milk could be delivered
in good condition on Monday. Many
creamery patrons are unable to keep
milk sweet longer than 1S hours [I9
bothers many to keep it ED and
either feed the milk Of Saturday night
and Sunday morning or else set it and
make butter for family use. They are
not properly equipped for making but
ter and most OF them do not secure near.
ly all the butter fat from the milf; while
at the same time, as it onl. comes once
a week, the work is a nuisance.
The Manhattan creamery is one and
a half miles from the college dairy, and
our milk was hauled to the creamery by
a neighboring farmer who handled
milk route, the college milk receiving
exactly the same treatment while on the
road as that given the milk from the
Dpighboring farms.
We had a creamery room which cost
US 800 and was fitted with a cement
floor and ice box; but farmers who had
difficulty iE keeping their milk said
that they had no such place and tnat
the average farmer could not afford such
an expense. At the beginning of hot
weather We therefore abandoned this
room and huilt what one of cur farmer
boys called "an-e, ,ery-farmer-c -can-atford-
it" milk house. We set some posts and
nailed to them old fence boards, making
a room l0xl0x10 feet. with dirt floor.
As the old boards could not be set close
enough to keep out either sun or rain,
we covered them with building paper.
This building, ii made OF new material,
would not have cost $40 and it cost us
IS. The room was built around we'll.
We had a windmill but did not use it, as
We wanted to keep milk under conditions
where farmer could not afford one.
For tanks in which to set the cans of
milk, we used oil barrels, saving them
IN two. We also took a half barrel and
boxed it In, packing the spaces with
wheat chaff. This box was covered with
quilts made from bran bags.
In handling this milk the care was
taken that previous experiences had
taught US was necessary for keeping
milk under any conditions. Every uten-
sill touched BY the milk was thoroughly
washed, and then sterilized with scald-
ing water. II even smsll quantity of
dirt is left in the seams or corners Of
pail, strainer or can, it supplies an abun-
dant source Of the bacteria which causes
milk to sour. No matter how clean the
mixers hands seem to be, they were
washed IN hot water just before milking
to destroy all milk souring germs that
might be in the dust or dirt on them.
The sanitary milk pail was used. This
pail has cover into which six-inch
opening was cut. In this opening fits a
removable strainer. The milk is milked
directly into the strainer aud the cover
keeps out Of the milk the fine dust which
falls from the cows body during milk
ling. This dust is full of the bacteria
which sour milk. When the mixer sal
down to milk, he wiped the COWS udder
with damp cloth. to remove as much
dirt as possible AID dampen the rest SC
that it will adhere to the udder and no,
fall into the milk. The milk was strain.
ed into 40-quart cans and as soon as 8
can was filled 1t was taken to the mill
room where it was immediately cooled
to go to 62 degrees BY passing over 9
milk cooler. The cans containing il
were then placed in the half barrels and
these barrels filled with freshly pumped
water and barrels and Gems covered
with bran bags. The water was changed
morning and night. With this treat
ment, and without ice, milk was kept
and delivered regularly through oul
hottest weather in good condition to thu
creamery when 40 hours old, the time
required to hold Saturday nights mill
for MONDAYS delivery at the creamery
and much of the time we were able Il
keep the milk in a good condition fifty
two hours, the time required when Sat
urday mornings milk is kept for Mon
days delivery.
II Thinks She Has II.