Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-04-27
Hand Separators.

A correspondent from Adams
county, who is debating the question
Of installing hand separator, says:
us it really possible to skim closely
with hand separators? Some Of my
neighbors say that they have taken
samples Of their skim milk to
creamery and had it tested and the
creamery people told them that they
were losing all the way from one
half to one pound of butter per
hundred pounds of milk. Now, if
that is the case, it seems to me
there is something wrong, for the
old system of setting milk in shall
low pans will give as good results
as that"
There certainly is something
wrong if the loss is as great as our
correspondent claims is the case
with his neighbors. Ninety-nine
chances to one, however, the trouble
is not with the machines, but with
the people who operate them. Hand
separators when properly run will
skim just as close as large factory
machines. There should be less
than one tenth of one per cent of
butter left in the skim milk instead
Of one per cent as indicated by our
correspondent. There is absolutely
no excuse for such condition of af-
fairs and these results need not de-
ter anyone from purchasing a hand
separator. The very fact that the
number Of hand separators used in
Iowa have grown from 900 to nearly
1900 during the last six years is in
itself evidence that the machines
are all right and are giving salts
faction. There are only 50 hand
separators reported by Dairy Com
missioner Wright in the county of
our correspondent, but the next
county south, Taylor county, has
6l9 in use.
Some of the creameries insist on
having the farmers, furnish cream
carrying so per cent butter fat.
This is done to save express charges
but it should be remembered that it
is much more difficult to produce
cream as rich as that and still do
good skimming. Possibly that is
one trouble with the men referred
to above. Remember that a separa-
tor is delicately adjusted piece Of
machinery and hence needs the best
OF care in every respect. Sloyenly
work cannot produce high class re-
suits. In the first place, the mach
inc must be set perfectly level and
securely bolted to a strong floor, but
it is preferable to set the machine
on stone or cement foundation.
This done, see to it that the milk is
not allowed to get cold before skim
ming. As near as possible skim as
soon as the milk is drawn from the
COW. The temperature should at
least not fall much below so degrees
=. Bear in mind what the directions
furnished with the machine say in
regard to speed and uniformity Of
turning the handle. Many people
who are not accustomed to the ma
chimes start them with jerk and
keep up that jerky motion during
the entire separation Keep the
same pressure on the handle at all
times; do not relax the pressure
when the handle bar is down, for
that is where the jerky motion orig
mates. Until one becomes thorough
ly accustomed to the speed, watch
should be used by which to time the
J revolutions. Any of the standard
machines will do good work and it
is safe to say that any man who will
closely follow the directions given
by the makers Of their machine will
get good results, but bear in mind
that guess work counts fer little in
running modern cream separator;
lcare and intelligence must be used