Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-04-10
RUNNING THE SEPARATOR.

RUNNING THE SEPARATOR.
According 10 an agricultural expert
every man who turns a cream separa-
tor by guess and varies from the num-
Der OF revolutions per minute on the
handle OF the machine Is losing a small
fortune.
When you buy cream separator
you viii find on the crank handle. In
large raised letters Instructions some
thing like this-"55 revolutions per
minute" or Il may read as, or so, or
60; Il varies ON the different makes Of
separators.
Suppose. for example. that yours
reads "55 revolutions per minute
What does this mean2 II means
whenever you operate that cream sep
arator you should turn the crank
handle precisely So turns per minute
The manufacturer has tested his
separator under every possible con-
dition, In order TO know the exact
method Of operation at which 1t gives
che greatest degree OF efficiency.
But how does the dairyman know
how many times he turns Il? IL is
Just as impossible TO guess accurate
~ the speed OF his cream separa-
tor as Il Is 10 guess accurately at
other things.
At a drst-ciass dairy farm the SUI
perintenGcnt said he always guess
cd the proper speed. When asked
how his helpers operated the separa-
tor he replied that after he had
broken new men in. they also operate
Il at approximately correct speed.
In order TO prove his statement one
OF his helpers was asked TO turn t. e
separator at the speed he usually OPP
Grated Il. The number on the crank
handle read "4s revolutions per min
ute" But the helper made only Is
turns 20 the minute.
This proved how absolutely wrong
the superintendent was In supposlng
that he. or any of his helpers. could
tell when they were turning the crank
handle exactly right. or anywhere
near, what the manufactures told
them II should be turned Here were
pounds of butter-fat going to the
hogs daily. Just because he guessed.
And II he Will feed calves and hogs
with butter-fat worth 30 cents a
pound when he can feed them bet
Ter on lN0 anu Niit nun PVNAiNo -
corn meal and skim milk, then that
shows how much the dairymen have
to learn TO get all the PROFITS out OF
the dairying and farming.
AZ the Purdue Experiment station,
Indiana. very exhaustive tests were
carried on 10 show the tremendous
losses through operation Of cream
separators. A separator was run az
It's normal speed OF % turns to the
crank handle per minute. Fifty
pounds of milk was run through the
separator AZ this speed. Il delivered
as pounds OF skim milk and 8 pounds
OF cream. This cream tested I'll
pounds Of butter-fat When the
speed was increased 10 10 turns per
minute the skim milk discharged was
46M pounds. reducing the cream 70
sM pounds. And the amount of but
ter fat was slightly less than when
the separator was turned at normal
speed
Next. test was made by letting
the machine drop down to that AT
which Il has been found the average
dairyman operates cream separator
with the astonishing result that the
discharge from the cream spout
went up to sM pounds. but II tested
only II per cent OF butter-fat only
/ o4 pounds OF fat out OF 50 pounds OF
milk. as against ali pounds when the
separator was operated correctly.
Dairymen are losing from 30 10 %
per cent OF their hutter-fat with every
operation. This Is matter of waste
that Is simply appalling when the ag-
gregate figures OF all the dairymeu
IN this country are considered. IL
probably runs into thousands OF dol
lars with each daily milking.
Now a speed Indicator has been In
vented TO be applied TO cream separa-
tors. mounted on the crank shaft OF
the separator. AS the separator han-
ale Is turned. the exact number or
revolutions per minute that the crank |
handle is making Is shown in def
mite figure. 80 that Il may be read at
a glance There is no calculating 10
be done: Il IS only necessary to keep
or turning the crank handle untii the
speed is reached. and then
continue al that exact speed through |
out the separation. This eliminates
all guess work entirely. II also adds
zest 10 the otherwise monotonous OPP
Grafton particularly where the sepa-
ration requires upward Of an hours
turning. as IL does in many instances.