The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-01

Sterilization of dairy utensils is neces- sary for the production of dairy prod uctS of high quality. particularly milk and cream, because the washing of dairy utensils, at least by the process generally used, is not sufficient to insure freedom from infection and contamination. Steam is necessary to kill the disease germs
 and harmful bacteria that lurk in milk cans, buckets and other such equip ment used wherever milk is produced. Dairy utensils on small farms are not
 often sterilized efficiently, because steam is not available. The United States De-
 pertinent of Agriculture has devised a simple and inexpensive. yet efficient. l steam sterilizer which can be provided
 at such a small cost as to justify it's use
 on any farm from which milk or cream is sold. The additional keeping quality which the sterilization of utensils will give milk and cream probably will pay
 for the cost of the sterilizer in one sea son. Full particulars on how to make and use this device are described in Farm CTS Bulletin 14S, u copy of which can be had. so long as the supply lasts, on ap- plication to the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington. D. c.
 APPROACH OF WARM WEATHER Approach of warnt weather adds to the dairymans problem of keeping milk from scUring. It is commonly known that bac- teria in milk produces changes which spoil it and therefore every means should 1 be taken to reduce the bacteria content of milk as much, as possible This can l be done, first, by producing milk under clean conditions: second. by producing. handling and by keeping it in sterilized utensils. and third by cooling it and keep | ing it cold.
 ! Dirty milk utensils, and even those which apparently are clean but which have not been sterilized. contain vast
 numbers of bacteria which are added to milk or, cream when it comes in contact | with them. It is' true that even when ! milk is produced under clean conditions 1 it will contain a few bacteria, for when such milk is placed in unsterilized uten- | sils or is run through an unsterilized 1 strainer cloth of the separator, large num- bers of bacteria are added, which are apt | to spoil it quickly. When dairy utensils are sterilized by steam most of the bac- l teria and all disease germs are destroyed. <, and therefore milk and cream in these utensils will keep sweet much longer. l Sterilization of utensils on farms is neither difficult nor expensive if the sim
 pie steam sterilizer designed by dairy spe- cialists of the United States Department 1 of Agriculture is used.
 FOR SMALL OR LARGE FARMS I This sterilzer is designed to be of greatest use to those who have one, two or three 10-gallon or smaller cans with a similar number of pails and a strainer
 cloth, but it can be used to advantage | where larger number of cans are re-
 quired. In it's construction are needed
 first a roasting pan of standard size t3O inches long, 14 inches wide and 3 inches deep), close fitting insulated cover to l fit over this pan, and a box with re- movable top to fit over the cover.
 l To make the cover, take a sheet of heavy galvanized iron and cut it large
 enough to allow it to project three-quar- ! tres of an inch over the edge of the pan Bend the edges of the sheet so as to form shallow hox with sides three l eighths of an inch high. Then cut out a
 cover for the shallow box. thus made. Cut