THE MORNING'S MILK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 145, 13 March 1908, Page 2

THE MORNING'S MILK.

A CLEARINC HOUSE. HOW TI-IE FRESH FOOD COMPYNY ' WORKS. \T-.'\ i'fIrik1 rik , !n e.'', JcJean-JtMkinEt building iii t Dixon Street, where the Fresh Food and Ice ■£e Tor't°W lts ,> rk '" W intorest for the ordinary citizen ' to-day'be-S t " f ''"j -9fe Council's; alternative .'•pro"s°!®', ? ,or some, place like, it. the •. milje... 'Let. ii 3 ,'despnbo ' i„ lfc i IS^] '" sfc , a .f t ? r , midday.-': A comely youth 'T f?' hlto • sh l rfc - slcoves -Stands, on a raised platform m the-middle of a. group of milk-cans. He is the tester. On-liim deShall' it bfl f f^'" p t f m . il . k i arrived;' onall it be fed. to tho cit-izens and'their tho' e Vf r shali it bo condemned to flow down the gutters; or ,- shall it, again,. be merely half-condemned, and be skimmed to ; make the company s. second-grade butter ? There SIT hold tho morning's milking of a suburban dairy farmer, whose herd has survived, the drought: to that extent The cans left the : dairy-farm perhaps an hour or two hours ago, and they have been ■ closed down : during that 'period: ' All .. the odour,-thoroforo, that the'milk has em-J ittcd as those-who keep their milk in billy - fans know—accumulates beneath the cover: ino -tester, lifts a.fcover; bends, his head, and smells. ;It is all ;in the smell. Is tho whiff strong and pungent? 'Is the milk absolutely ? i unwashed cans;'"or some other : ot the little .accidents that occasionally beat tne^dairy-farmor?" The- smell tells the tale. J-t .it -is-, all this, the tester has n. sadj-''ruth-less duty to - perform Away-: it' goes.- Thero is no quarter.'.- 1 . ; No'che6|uo will 1 gladden that-dairy-farmer tq-day, and-, no.householder i-ill have ; an 'grumble over' that particular milk. , , I p ; crhapS t the/;'m.iik;is oiilyjust *a" lifctlb ri])Q side:, hot. ba'd if consumed jiW)' but', too" ripe-'to' survive tlie' period between now and -. the >.Kour.>.whon it 'will' get into- the ovenmg s teajc oi\-the - morning's,^cofTee. .' lb' goes to one side! I '-'lts'cream will make, good butter,', biit,.it' ; paniibt have .the honour of making coEep,; ;Thero wjll . be, .something; docked from the 'cheque accordingly. Buying the Milk ' : But: though -there are'', occasional' condemnations most day^,' the- farmers' .have - wellr learned tho: lesson: that these little punislimcrits tepch,. and; the. bulk. .of .the , supply coirics in in good ordqr 1 -,witH'nb.tbing -tVgrcc't tile; nose; of; tho tester,; but- the rplea'sant, ' aronja of. sweet ■ fresh, mills.He.- : th.ereforo' lifts" the:' qhnV 'ono- after 'another,' and -pours , the ; contents into-the: weighing; tank.: ; Then • ho records tho weight 'to'iho fiu-riior's credit, and the bargain, is complete. " '•'• •*->' : What is tho next stage? The milk- has been merely tested and weighed. It has now to. bo pasteurised. For this ..purpose the . milk is allowed, to. run slowly'into' a'heater/ ■ wherea' jacket of!steam;brings,itV'as it flows' \ through, up to ar temperature ■of 165 degrees! a gi uau ncac. , it .does-not'-.change the fluid into boiled; milk,'nor'does it give it avboiled flavour.': But ,it.„is, sufficient-to check ; the germ; development" that goes on" in, all milk, and if it does not entirely sterilise the milk,-, it makes it: at least, as . gormless as when it left the cow'; It is tho best that . moderiv commercial;methods can ;do ifor 'usvTho, quick, heating is followed by .'rapid, cooling. "jTho milk,: which, enters-the .'bottom of the' heater, is raised by : internal fans.td.the top, .where ;it•• .flows?.off.'tb'/tho' 1 coolers. - ;It " leaves the.first'cooler atiSO-degrees tempera'sß J ortyt degrces..:is„the 1 j temperif tu,ro; of? the! ice roomj and if you'take a sample I 'of' the.milk; . as it flows off from the last cooler you get a - tasto - of' the depth of' winter. The rapid cooling is part' of the'.pasteurising '-scheme.' It helps tho germ-killing.- „v. ; ■- : .TheDiotdbuting. r_ ( \ - ' Milk carts are .arriving; , Tfie ; F; : F, .arid I'.; Co. does hot sell "its'milk froni honise'to.house,; , but; sells to milk " runners.',' Its only pri-' vato .customers are - large consumers like hotels, shops,.. .. and .;.,boarding-houses,.' „thc Union S.S.>Co.'s ships, and.a few extra-large !.households'. The business :is.''essentially; a -wholesaleone.;'.Brown,.Jones; and Robinson . . back;' tKoir.. carts j against' the.iplatform, - and the nowly-pastem-isedimilk is measured bilt ' to them: --■They : pay; their money,arid -away they; go -to feed; a. • city;; :If' theyr "are-, good' business men, alive'-ito the'interests'of Heir own pockets—and who are riot will have reckoned : up'how much;milk their cusitpmers have on order;this morning/ and they have. ; no.he€d;to-jbuy;too much, and have a Surplus .to : be, carried forward .to ■ the . next dolivpry.,r,.',VFresh!;iriilk,;every -timer',: is,,- a I good motto. .vTho riilo atitho F.i'F: ; and-1/ : Co. - is: that ; to-day's, arrivalsTt- •: is noyer sent.out to-morrow, notwithstanding tho.cool-storago facilities. The buttor-making '. oporatipns remove any,"riecejsity'for that..V ■'■■•; ■■ Some .Questions.. ~ 1 . Thovmanaser, -Mr.".Brandon,: is ;ony-haml,' •! •and he gives awayisoriiejof.tho..secrets'of his- . .business, to-which'.tho;'public; is ■really,, not • properly entitled. But; anyhow, hero', they are:—? '/■'' ; : 'v'_ ; •' •' ;,",AVhat;is your, daily output? "- .asked the roporter.; 'V;' • ' Tho city,"; said Mr. Brandon, "is esti- ■ mated to' drink '5000 .gallons / 6f- milk per dav.. Of that quantity: about 3000',GAlIoris comes in j by' train, ,and t-he : remaining ,2000' gallons by road in tho carts bf.'tho suburban:dairy ; fanners. We handle 1500 gallons of it." '"" Your ' milk ..deliverers arc 1 fairly' • numorous?" ;. . ; ■" About- fifteen; "■ Arid, t-hoy; "take. .from flftv to 150 gallons bach jier day.'. The ships' i and hotels; tako about *600' gallon's per day,, arid, tho' romairiing' 906., gallons go , to',the retailers and.to strangers who frequently call for supplies." ' '; . 'r 1 .' . . The price? ".''„ - ! ■ A shilling per.gallon'." , .' " Can'you store or. distribute milk for the- i

farmers of Featherston, Levin, arid other 'places,'if desired? ' Yes. Wo havo cool stores enough to hold 10,000 gallons. At present they are' filled" with meat.' Wo have'offered to haiidlo the milk of tlio 'Featherston'Milk-Cooling Association, carting 1 it up from the station, keeping it cool, and delivering it to their delivery men w;hon called for." : v.: : :y. • Your.,.ice-making, machinery—— ?:'C. ,•.; " Can mako 28 tons of ico per day. The butchprs, hotels, .Union] S.'S. Company,-.etc., take from two to throe tons per any!" - " Your daily . : make of first-grade butter ?" \ : " .-' .■;- ■/ '■ " Ono to one and *'a hall tons per day. usually. Just now thero'is a shortage of milk/ and ;we,make about three-quarters of a ton'per day. Tho cream comes in from our . various ■' creameries; - and is all made hero."'; 1 ■ ■