THE FARM.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 201, 23 August 1905, Page 7

THE FARM.

THE CREAM SEPARATOR. Some interesting remarks and excellent concerning the separator are given te-Mr. E. H- Webster., in a United States Department Bulletin, and. mje make the folio.ving extracts: The separate* is ruaiic for one specific mirpn-e —that of skimming milk. The ___nin~dng is done wholly by centrifugal Jji-uj —na. force that makes a ball pull on a striag ii it is attached to one end and whirled round the haul in a circle. The pull that is everted through the string, gs though the bali were trying to get away, is the e.<_trt,ug_i force. The c_nfcifogal force in a separator causes the jmlk tc flow away from the centre of the bowl, and aus the inside of the bowl wall. Xhe skim milk thus f< rces its way to the part, furthest from the centre, while the jjeam, which is lighter, lags behind and collect 1 ! in the middle of the _gwl. Stnct]r speaking, the skim milk, being heavier £5 separated from ihe by the action of centrifugal force, instetv'. of the cream being _srtrac:ed from the milk. Openin-rs on the outer edge- of the bowl carry off the gfeiin milk, and an opening near the centre carries off the .ream. One is discfiarged below the other, and they are caught ia different pans or receptacles, and thus carried away from the m.iehine. The various patterns of separators found on the market have different devices in tie bowl for aiding the separation. These are always purely aids. The old-style hollow-bowl machines had simply gbowl with a wing soldered to the inside IE a line with the axis or central shaft to niake the milk revolve with the bowL Ihere was more or less remising of cream jnd milk after it started to separate, anil the effidency was low both as to closeness and _kimm:ng and to quantity of work done. Every interns.l device used in separators has been put there to overcome these -iiSeukies —*o keep the milk from remixing, to make it pass through the bowl in a steady flow, and to divide it up in such ways that a greater quantity of milk can be passed through the bow' and recfive the action or the separatmj force. The steady, even flow secured by these devices is also ob'ained or helped by a perfectly steady and uniform motion of the bowL If the machine shakes while it ja skimming there will be some intermixing of the milk and cream, and the remit is poor skimming. The operator should aim to secure two things if he expects his machine to do good work: (1) A perfectly true motion of bowl, and {2) a sufficient speed (which must be uniform) to create force for separating. In order to have the perfect motion of the bowL the machine must be set level, and be kept e'.ean and well oiled. The oi! should be thin, or light, so that it will not gum the wearing parts. A heavy oil will make the maeh.ne run hard, and will gum quickly on small high -speed bearings. Ail the bearings of machine should be frequently flushed with coal oil. It is well t.: make a run about once in two or three weeks, usins coal oil on all the

bearings. This keeps tne parts free from gum. and washes out grit or sand that may be blown into them. It is an ex cellent plan to h_ve a cover of e'oso woven cloth or oil-cloth that can be kept over the machine while it is not in operation. This will k_;p out dust and sand and will add materially to the lasting powers of the mach.ne. The separator should be set up oa a good solid floor, so that it will not move about as the operator turn- the _i.:__..

Uniform centrifugal force is obtained by Turning;' __._ crank at a given speed at all times, and giviiL: the crank an equal ■pressure at all i> • nts in its circni: around its ax.-. A!! machines mark ed upon their., cr given in the instruction book: the nuD'.ljtv. of revolutions the crank should make per mLiute. Follow these instruct ions, counting the revolutions each tire, the ___.chine is operated and fre-.-uently during operation, to be lure lie speed i- ma. ntained. This is a point i:" 1 whicli mu'-i careles- work idone. Too rrnny gusss at the speed md they leiloru guess r : ght. It is a good rule never to guess at anything when it is possible to know. The writer has found variations all the way feem. __5 to 75 revolutions per rr-inate in the operation cf m____q__- by guess. At neither of these -_tren.es would the oppra*or believe that lie was wrong, until he had been made to eoxmt the number of revolutions by the wate—

The !if. of a separator denends mainly upon the factors just pointd out. A machine that i. allivre<! to run gnmmy or dirty' may wear out in one year. If kept free fro"i din and wet; oiled it wTI last a number of year?. On. 1 of the objec ions urged against the separator has been that it ■would not be properly handled, and -aa; mc or two ye:ir=' ?errice would wear the machine out. After visiting several kimtired farms and inspecting as many machines, the writer has concluded tha the fanners, as a whole, are taking much better care of their separators mechanicaHy than wes anticipat-i. Machines iare been noted that have seen several years'" service, and were still practically asj%oo_, as new. In a few instances careless, ipe- :itors had near'y worn a machine than twelve months. The farnier _c bou_rht a machine before in the Mc .f which he was so frequently and Tf-ntlv reminded that he must take care of it.

This has already been discussed, but it be noted here that the greater the speeil the _Teater the centrifugal force, Stilus the gTeatPr the efficiency in sepa-iS-ion. The speed at which a machine Aotild be run is indicated by the manufacturer. Never run ie<=_ than this; it is ?ot practicable to run more. Slow 3peed &*s two effects on the work, of the ma*hie'. (1) The separation will not be e °Biplete. and <2) the cream will be thin. *ke iEcornp'ete separa'lon means a fat left in the skim milk. This should be avoided, and it can be by Efflning at the required speed. Count the tl D r as of the crank by the watch.