The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-06-09
THE MAKING
OF MILK
The Large Quantity Needed for
Morristown and Where
It Comes From
A MODEL -To-DATE DAIRY

! There is nothing of greater import
ance to community than the supply
of milk, entering 50 largely as it does
in the daily food Of every person and
from it's nature being susceptible of
contamination to a remarkable degree
Probably a large percentage of the
maladies that carry off the young
/ children is due to milk, mainly
due to careless handling and keeping.
A recent test of milk made by the
Summit health authorities from sam
plies taken from wagons of dealers
showed bacteria per cubic centimeter
to range from $1,000 to 3, 500, 900. Aver
age good milk will contain at least 81
lper cent butter fats and Is per cent
solids. Good clean milk properly
handled contains not more than 10000
bacteria per cubic centimeter; milk
containing less than 900 bacteria is
very clean pure milk.
Taking as an average that every in-
habitant Of Morristown consumes one
half pint of milk per day it requires
about three thousand quarts daily to
supply our needs. The average yield
of cow is about ten quarts day so
three hundred COWS are busy night
and day making milk for US, while
about fifty men are employed in caring
for and milking the cows and deliver
ilg milk, with some twenty or more
wagons in use.
The milk supply comes from the
parties who keep one COW and supply
their neighbors with the surplus to
the immense dairies like that at Brier-
cliff where five or six hundred cows are
kept. The cost of milk production of
course varies with circumstances the
Sussex county farmers are putting
milk on the market at the wholesale
price of two and quarter cents a
quart, and when the price goes up to
three cents buy COWS and enlarge their
business although good grade COWS are
worth from fifty to seventy dollars
apiece. while it is claimed that in one
of the fancy dairies in Morris county
it cost fourteen cents per quart to
make milk.
] Most of the milk is produced on
j farms from herds of from ten to forty
COWS with general farming as side
line, so that it is impossible to know
just what the cost of milk is. There
are three large dairies in the county
where milk is produced and handled
on scientific principles-the Twombly
dairy at Florham Park, the McAlpin
dairy at Littleton, TIE Noe dairy at
Madison. The former two are regarded
somewhat in the nature of fads but
the latter is business proposition pure
and simple.
A recent visit to the Noe dairy
proved of great interest to the writer,
who in his youthful days was employed
on milk farm for time, in view OF
the wonderful progress made along all
lines, and our readers viii doubtless
be interested in knowing how to pro-
duce milk containing 5000 bacteria
after being carried five orsix miles in
a wagon, which is over sixty per cent
below the normal of pure milk. The
Noe dairy is located on the outskirts
of Madison, on farm with rolling
land and southwestern exposure. Two
large COW barns, accommodating to-
gether two hundred cows are located
some distance apart. They are spe-
cially designed for the purpose and
contain everything needed for cleanli-
ness, ventilation, saving of labor, etc
Everything is scrupulously clean, with
nothing that can in way contaminate
the milk. Before milking, the COWS
are wiped with damp towel, and the
men employed are required to keep
their person and clothing perfectly
clean, frequently washing their hands
and milking vessels, while the three
legged stools are of metal and washed
with the other implements. The milk
is drawn through strainers in tight
vessels, which in turn are emptied
through cheese cloth strainers in cans
in room apart from the COWS. Sew
eral hundred feet away from the COW
barns is the creamery, the milk being
conveyed to it in cans by an overhead
trolley. Arriving at the creamery the
milk is poured through another
strainer into receptible from which
it trickles slowly down over coil of
pipes filed with ice cold water. This
aerates and cools the milk. When the
tank is filled Car load of bottles is
run under it and the milk runs through
strainers into the bottles without
handling. When filed the bottles are
placed in an immense refrigerator ad-
joining. All this is done in dust
proof room; the windows being station
airy and air tight. In connection with
the creamery is large hot water
boiler providing the means for steri-
lizing all the implements used. The
men employed are dressed in white
suits. A steam laundry being fitted
up to wash the uniforms used as the
laundryNbill is a matter of $50 or so a
month. The surplus milk and cream
is made into high class of butter.