The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-02-23
PROGRESSIVE METHODS.
How Cows and MIX Are Handled at
the Kansas Agricultural Col
lege Dairy.


Every effort is made to keep the sta
bles clean, and the stalls well bedded,
and to have as little dust floating at the
time of milking as possible. To accom-
pish this latter point, the feeding is
done after, rather than before, the
milking. The handling of the hay, en-
silage or even grain, fills the atmos-
phere full of dust and carries with it
millions upon millions of germs, many
of which will fall into the milk, and
not only cause it to sour, but will de-
velop undesirable favors in the butter
and cheese made from ii. The hay
bacillus, germ that has great tenacity
of life, exists in immense quantities in
cured hay, and when allowed to develop
unchecked in ripening cream will cause
the butter to have very disagreeable,
offensive flavor.
Before beginning to milk, each milk
er sees that his hands are clean, not
merely that they look clean, but that
they are as free as possible from germs.
For this purpose it is often necessary TO
wash in hot water previous to milking.
Each mixer is provided with canton
flannel cloth, which is moistened and
used to wipe off the sides and udder
of the COW. This removes the
loose particles of dust and moist
ems the rest so that they will not so
readily fall into the milk bucket.
These cloths, as well as the cloth strain
ers, are thoroughly washed and ster-
ilized with boiling water after each
milking.
The milk pail used is called the san
itary dairy pail" 1t is made of heavy
tin and is covered on top. In this cover
is a six-inch hole, into which fits cir
cular removable strainer. The milk
is MIXED directly into this strainer.
This style of milk pail keeps out of the
milk the dust and hairs that fall in
spite of the precautions already men
toned. Anyone doubling the desira-
bility of such milk pail need doubt
no longer after once seeing the appear
ance of the pail after milking. In spite
of the best precautions, the top of the
pan Will NC CONtIGl Win IulI@SlO JUS
hairs and dust particles, enough to
spoil the digestion of any man if he
only knew what he was swallowing
when he drinks the milk out of an open
milk pail.
Each cows milk is weighed, sam
pied, and again strained through a wire
strainer, and finally through four
thicknesses of cheese cloth. This wire
strainer is so constructed that the
milk is strained on an upward pres
sure. Any particles of dirt remaining
in the milk and settling to the bottom
will not be forced through the strainer
by the pressure of the milk above.
: From the cheese cloth strainer the
milk is received into 4O-quart milk cans
The milk is brought to the dairy room
as soon as possible after being MIXED
and strained, and is aerated half
can at a time. A tin pipe projects
above the roof of the dairy room, where
fresh air is secured and conducted
through absorbent cotton Ito remove
any germs or dust particles) into bel.
lows, where it is forced through the
milk. Anyone standing near the can
of milk while this operation is being
performed cannot fail to notice the
cowy odor that is given off. This is
kept up until the animal odor is re-
moved. In this way nearly all the
taints in milk, not due to germs, can
be removed, and it has been found by
experience that milk is much more di-
gestible after being aerated.
After aeration, the milk is cooled
to between so and GO degrees F., at
which temperature it is kept until de-
livered to the college dining hall or the
creamery and warmed up for the sep
arator When separation takes place
Immediately after milking, the milk
goes directly from the aerator to the
separator without being cooled.
To some, and perhaps to many OF
our busy readers, this process may APP
pear long and tedious, but practical
experience has proven that after once
accustomed to it much of this work
can be done in less time than it takes
to tell it, and the difference in the quail
ity of the milk is the difference be-
tween pure, wholesome milk and dirty,
filthy milk. Straining through wire
and cloth will not take out dirt that
has once become dissolved in the milk
nor will it remove the taints that arise
from the feed. A man may have right
to use filthy and tainted milk if he
wants to, but the consumers of both
milk and its products also have a right
to enter vigorous protest against this
man selling his filthy milk as a pure
food product. Milk adulterated with
filth and dirt is to be condemned even
more than butter adulterated with
oleomargarine. Both are deceiving the
consumers. While the dairymanis pro-
testing against the manufacture and
sale of oleomargarine as butter, and
every true dairyman should be, let him
at the same time make sure that he is
not open to criticism by adulterating
his milk with dirt or filth of any kind.
d. H. OTIS.