Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1915-06-16
CARE OF CREAM.
Care of Cream During Summer
Months of Importance to
Quality of Dairy
Products.

Because of the general butter mar
ket conditions, quality is more i'm
portant than ever before. Whether
the butter is made on the farm or at
the creamery, its quality depends
largely upon the manner in which
the cream and milk are handled
The system of grading cream at a
large number of the creameries anil
making difference in the price of
sweet and sour cream emphasizes
the Importance of giving the raw
product the best possible care.
The two important factors in pro-
ducing good cream are low tenn
perature and cleanliness. If these
two essentials are properly employ
ed there is very little trouble in get
ting the best price for the dairy
products.
When the milk comes from the
cow it is absolutely pure but the con-
.tamination starts from the time it
leaves the teat until placed in the
vat at the creamery. If the cows are
on pasture, there is less liability of
dirt entering the milk during the
summer than during winter. Care
should be taken in brushing off the
6irt and dust from the udder, and
the mixers hands should be clean.
The milk should be run through the
cream separator as soon as possible
after it has been drawn. 1t should
be removed from the barn and taken
directly to the cream separator ana
skinned
When the milk is drawn it has
Temperature of ninety-eight degrees
Fahrenheit, which is just right for
the development of bacteria. If 1t
is allowed to stand around the barn,
the bacteria will develop rapidly and
thus make ii much more difficult to
produce sweet cream. The cream
should be taken from the separator
and cooled at once. This can be
most easily done by placing the cans
in a small tank Of water. The ay
erage well water has temperature
of about fifty degrees, This, when
pumped directly into the small tank
which has an outlet into a large
stock tank, offers the most practical
means of cooling the cream on the
average farm. The tank may be
constructed of either wood, steel or
cement.
Shotgun cans offer the best means
of cooling cream because of their
small diameter and the amount of
surface exposed to the water III
comparison with the amount OF
cream contained. The cream will
cool much quicker if it is stirred at
intervals at one half hour after it
has been skinned
The cream separator as well as
the milk utensils used should all be
thoroughly washed with a brush. A
brush is much preferred to rag be-
cause of the brjstles getting into the
cracks and crevices and cleaning the
trails and cans thoroughly After
washing the utensils should be scald-
ed and then placed in the air to dry.
Cans and pals should be inverted
but should not have the tops close
ly against the table. Pegs fastened
into the wall are very good means
of airing the milk cans
One Of the most important fea
lures in producing clean milk is the
covered milk pail. This is simp-
ly an ordinary Iail with the top part
ly covered in order to prevent the
dirt which drops from the COW en-
tering the pail These pals are lit
tie more expensive than the ordin-
airy open pail and practical use shows
that they are very desirable for the
average farm.
Those who are producing the best
grade of cream have constructed
small milk houses. These are in
expensive and are located near the
pump. The cooling tank, as we'll
as the cream separator are placed
in them, thus concentrating the work
end making it easier to properly care