The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-12-05
By c. c. BOWSFlELD

1t is a fact that the farmer as a rule
is putting up far better grade of
products than was the rule even a
decade ago. This follows as a nat
ural result of the Improvement in the
methods of handling the dairy prod
ucts and the elimination of most Of the
old system of crooks and pans now
made possible through the use of the
cream separator.
A good cream separator will increase
the efficiency of the average farm
dairy at least so per cent. It elm
mates about all the crooks and jars
once necessary under the old methods
of "raising'' cream. It cleanses the
milk Of any little dirt particles that
may have got into the vessels while
milking and thus insures q better
quality of butter than was possible
under the old process. The separator
under even ordinary management gets
a lot more butter fat out Of the milk
than farmers ever dreamed was in it
while practicing the old methods of
separation, thus making another great
gain. After you have figured up all
this just consider the value of nice
warm skimmilk fresh from the cow
for the pigs and calves.
The labor of the housewife is greatly
reduced by the cream separator, and at
the same time the capacity for turn
ing out first class butter is doubled.
Gasoline power is the most econom-
zeal way Of running cream separa-
tor. The proper care and attention to
the handling Of this machine are i'm
pOrtant items to be considered in the
work. The parts should be thoroughly
washed and scalded after each opera
ton, especially during the summer
months. 1t is a practice of some to
merely run hot water through the ma
chine and let it stand without dis
assembling the parts, but one cannot
hope to produce top notch butter with
such a practice. A certain amount of
sediment and grease will remain in the
working parts, and the machine cannot
do the best work unless each part is
kept scrupulously clean. The parts
should be taken out, scalded thorough
~ and then dried in the sunlight If:
possible. This destroys all bacteria
that may be adhering to the parts and
insures a clean separation for the next
milking.
It pays to keep close watch on all
the little details as to cleanliness in
regard to the separator, for upon this
depends the value of the machine to
the dairy. A dirty separator is a det-
riment to good buttermaking and con-
seQuently loss to the farmer. No one
can tell whether he is making money
in the dairy business or not unless he
keeps record Of each cows milk, per-
centage of butter fat contained in this
milk and the amount of feed it takes
to produce this given amount. The
whole dairy business is hinged upon
these three little essentials, and it is
poor manager who tries to get along
without them. Owners should also
study up on balanced rations, so as to
get the best possible returns from their
cows.
The bull is probably the most impor-
tant single factor in the improvement
| Of the dairy herd. He is represented
in each offspring. The proper selec-
ton of bull is therefore very impor-
tant. In selecting bull the produc-
ton of his dam, granddam and more
| remote ancestors should be carefully
inquired into, as bull of high pro-
ducing ancestors is more likely to be
the sire of daughters that will be an
improvement over the dams than is a
bull which is purchased without any
regard to the performance Of his an
cest0rs.