LABORATORY TESTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 76, 5 September 1947, Page 6

LABORATORY TESTS

DAIRY COMPANY’S ACTIVITIES BACTERIOLOGIST’S REPORT In his report to the annual meeting of suppliers to the Rangitaiki Dairy Company last week, the Company’s Bacteriologist, Mr F. S. Hodson, stated as under:— I have pleasure in submitting the annual laboratory report for the season 1946/47:Milks tested 8,644; creams 583; factory tests 332; water samples 50; vacuum gauges 16; bull tests 20; miscellaneous 28; mammitis vaccine issued 52,200 c.c. Total 9,673. Eighteen herds comprising 2,000 cows were under the mammitis herd control. The washing of cow’s teats and the dipping of teat cups in chlorine solution, made from powder supplied by the Veterinary Department, has been urged. This solution can lose strength rapidly should much milk be carried into it, and it would be well for suppliers to obtain some test solution from the Laboratory and test the solution during the milking after so many cows have gone through the bail. In the case of large herd.s, fresh solution may be needed part way through the milking. Where the dipping of cups is practised, the dropper taps should be altered in the way demonstrated at the last annual meeting to enable the air To escape and the water to enter the disinfecting solution. During February, Dr. Moir, Chief Chemist of the Dairy Division, Wellington, Mr Frieberg, Chemist of the Dair-v Division, Auckland, and Mr Purvis, Dairy Division Hamilton, spent nearly three days at the Laboratory. They were well pleased with the method of sampling creams on the stage I devised and checked up many creams with --. both the blue test and the newer resazurin test. In the case of large numbers of creams our own modified blue test was definitely superior. They were also particularly interested in the checking of the cleanliness of the churns by using the resazurin test on the cream and buttermilk. This followed a Suggestion made to me some time ago by Dr. Moir as he wished us to try it out. It has proved most useful. Lantern lectures have been given to the Young Farmers Clubs at Taneatua and Otakiri.

I have tried out a new style hotwater heater suitable for cowsheds. It does not give steam and up to the present has worked efficiently and is heated by wood, wood and oil or oil only. The factory cleaning solutions have presented difficulties owing to the shortage of the different ingredients and substitutes have had to be used'. In spite of the difficulties, the factory cleaning gave excellent check tests and no adverse reports have been received from the grading stores, rather the ppposite. I have received an invitation from the British Dairyman Journal to contribute any article I thought suitable. Thanks to a personal invitation from Professor Riddet of Massey Colege and the permission of your Directors, I was able to attend the Dairy Science Conference at Massey College and spend extra days in the Chemical and Bacteriological Laboratories there and gain valuable exerience. The staff there, especially the Bacteriologist Dr. Whitehead and Dr. McDowall of the Chemistry section were most helpful. Both for shed use and water chlorination supplies of suitable chemicals have been irregular and of different kinds. While in Christchurch on holiday, I was able to see a plant that has been operating for at least 10 years which manufactures a chlorine solution by means of electrically treating a solution of common salt. I am waiting for detailed information to ascertain whether the solution and apparatus would be of use here. Since the last annual meet-, ing the Laboratory and Vets. Departments have been placed under Mr Thomson’s control and I have been very happy working under the new conditions.