Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-05-24
BETTER BUTTER FOR KANSAS.
How Dirt and Bacteria Get Into
Cream and the Effect They
Have On Butter.Fat Prices.

SlMSIi
Kansas dirt in the right place is
a valuable agricultural asset, but |
when found In milk 1t Is a sign Of I'M. |
clean daiying and criminal careless
ness.
1t Is difficult to convince a person
who has never cleaned a separator
bowl that average milk contains con-
siderable quantities Of dirt and ma
nure, but am examination Of separa-
tor slime should convince the most
skeptical that painstaking methods
in dairying are necessary II we expect
to sell or consume clean and whole
some milk products.
The dairymen Of the state pay
dearly for the dirt In milk, since the
standards Of all dairy products ON
the market and the prices paid for
milk and cream are determined by
their flavor and purity. Butter Of
good flavor cannot be made from
cream skinned from dirty milk.
Most foods which are dangerous to
health warm us of danger either by
their odor Of decay or by their
change in appearance. Bad eggs pro-
claim themselves by AN offensive
odor and spoiled canned goods are
either overgrown with mold or have
an unnatural appearance. The sour
ing of milk is regarded by many as
the first Indication of impurity, but
both milk and cream undergo decom-
position and may be dangerous to
health long before souring OCCURS.
For this reason an exceptionally high
standard of cleanliness must be OBJ
served in milk production.
The principal sources CT contami-
nation are dust from the abr, dirt and
manure from the cows bodies. and
particles of old milk left in pals and
utensils which were not thoroughly
cleaned All Of this foreign matter
is heavily laden with bacteria which
will pass through the finest strainer,
even though the courser particles of
dirt are strained out. Clean milk
does not require straining.
A recent observation showed the
amount Of dirt in twelve pints of
milk taken from twelve different dair
les. Each pint was strained through
small disk of absorbent cotton, and
dark color indicated the amount of
dirt contained. None of this milk
had become sour and no dirt could
be seen in it, yet no sane-minded per.
son would knowingly drink the milk
which contained the dirt indicated
in certain of the tests.
Although a large amount Of the did
in milk is left in the separator bowl,
the great majority Of the bacteria
formerly on the dirt are washed into
the cream, where they finally devel-
Op bad flavors and cause decOmpOsi-
ton. The most Skillful buttermaker
cannot repair this INJURY to cream,
and the low quality OF butter made
from 1t is responsible for low but
terfat prices.
Clean Cream From Start to Finish.
l. In favorable weather, keep the
cows IN the pasture as much as pos
snle, thus preventing an accumula-
ton Of manure In the stable or cor
raj.
2. Remove the dirt from the cows
udders and flanks before milking, and
wipe the udders with damp cloth.
3. Do not feed hay or dusty feed
just before milking.
4. To clean pals and cans, first
wash them clean with warm water
and a mineral washing powder, then
rinse them wen, scald them, and al
low them to drain.
s. Skim about a 35 per cent cream
6. Take the separator apart and
wash 1t thoroughly after each separ-
alton.
Z. Remove the cream to a milk.
house or cool place where the air Is
pure and where the can may be plac-
ed In a trough or barrel Of cold wa
ter fresh from the we'll.
s. Do not mix warm cream with
cold cream, nor keep cream in cellars
or caves.
g. See that all cans and tinware
coming in contact with cream are per
fectly sweet and clean, especially in
the seams and crevices.
10. Deliver the cream in the morn
ing during hot weather. Make at
least three deliveries a week in
summer and two in the winter.
IL. At all times protect the can
containing cream against heat, cold
and dust by covering the can com
pletely with a clean canvas.
The foregoing suggestions have cali