The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-06-10
GOVERNING MT FACILITIES
How The Farmers rlay Use United
States Department of Agriculture.

1t is the function of the laboratories
of the Dairy Division to ascertain the
correctness or error of dairy practices
and to solve the new problems which
are constantly coming up in all phases
of the dairy industry. This covers
everything from feeding the cow to
the utilization of the by-products and
disposal of wastes from the manufac-
ture of butter and cheese.
/ Connected with the divisions farm is
a laboratory in which Psychologists and
chemists will study the fundamental
process of the cows body involved in
the secretion of milk.
The psychologists of the division, in
their studies of the types of bacteria
which contaminate milk and its pro-
ducts, strive to discover means of pre-
venting the entrance of undesirable
forms of bacteria and of destroying, by
heat. those which are unavoidably
present. In the laboratories at Wash
ington and in the experimental creamery
are studied the chemical and bacteri-
illogical principles involved in the manu-
facture of ice cream, condensed milk,
butter, and various kinds of cheese.
Provision is made for conducting these
investigations on a small scale in the
laboratory and, when the results war
rant it, for test in any new process
under commercial conditions. When,
for instance, a method of making casein
from buttermllk is developed in the
laboratory, it is tested in the expert
mental creamery under conditions
which permit an exact determination
of the cost as we'll as test of the
product.
One half of the experimental farm of
the Bureau of Animal Industry at Belts
vile, Md, is devoted to the study of
problems in dairying A dairy herd is
maintained and feed is raised for it..
Milk is produced for the Dairy Division
laboratories and for the HYGIENE
Laboratory of the Public Health Service.
The work of this section is largely
educational, with the object of putting
into actual practice the knowledge OBJ
tanned from scientific research and
from a study of the methods and
practices used in the manufacture of
dairy products.
! By means of correspondence and by
sending men into the field, assistance
is given to creameries i'll improving the
methods of manufacturing butter. in
preventing the losses which frequently
occur, and in keeping of accurate
records with view to helping the
creameries to operate on more econo-
mical and profitable basis.) Assistance
is also given in establishing creameries
where there are good prospects that
such plants will be successful; sim
liar effort is put forth to discourage the
establishment of creameries where it is
apparent that they can not be success
full. While most of the work has been
/ done in the dairy sections, recently a
great demand for assistance of this
kind has developed in the southern
States and there now appears to be an
opportunity to render similar service in
that region.
A general survey is being made to
determine whether there are localities
outside the regular cheese-making dis
tricts where cheese-making may be prof
| itably undertaken and what varieties of
cheese are best adapted to such
/ localities. 1t is expected that, when
desirable places are found. personal as
sistance will be gwen and demonstra-
lions will be made to encourage and
develop cheese making there.
A study has been made of the posi-
bilties of improving the quality OF
butter made on the farms. In localities
where butter is poor the prices received
for this product are low. The work al
ready shows that in many instances
the selling price of the butter may be
increased by so per cent. or more.
Factories which produce renovated
butter are supervised and inspected,
The inspectors are required to examine
the materials used in the manufacture
of renovated butter and the product
made, to determine that no unwhole-
some materials are used. Inspectors
are also required to see that proper
sanitary conditions are maintained IN
the factories. Renovated butter for
export is inspected to determine Its
purity, quality, and grade, and If found
pure and properly branded and marked,
a certificate is issued setting forth these
facts.
Dairy Division supervises the man.
utacture of 500, 0OO to 100000 pounds OF
butter each year for the Navy. Accord
ing to specifications prepared by tni
division, this butter is made from past
eurized sweet cream and packed both II
Theoretically sealed cans holding
pounds each and in tubs holding oI
pounds each. This butter is made es
pecially for storage purposes and IL
used aboard ships at sea, where Its
keeping quality is of great Importance