A NEW MILKING MACHINE. COW-TESTING ASSOCIATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1224, 5 September 1911, Page 10

A NEW MILKING MACHINE.

COW-TESTING ASSOCIATIONS.

WAB AGAINST GERMS. Much interest is being evinced in agricultural circles in Germany ov'er a new milking apparatus which has recently appeared, designated tho E.H. process. If the nelv invention is all .that is claimed lor it, the cry of the bacteriologist that contaminated milk is. being sold to in- , valitls and infants, should in, a few years be a thing of the past. This new, apparatus has been feigned for the purpose of excluding all possibility of germs, dirt, etc., falling into the milk. It consists of a milk pail, .a cooler awl a collecting ■vessel, all ' specially constructed, and ..a leather,thong to lifiUl the cow's tail. The •-ulk .pail is oval-shaped, with a spout io pour out the milk and with a lid.in which, is fastened a. curved, trumpetlike funnel fur collecting the jots of milk. Both tho funnel and the spout nro furnished wirli properly fitted covers. Tho first milk drawn is thrown away, as it often contains germ?. After milking the fnnnel is at once closed, and the mill; is pouredlinto the cooler, whence it passes into tho collecting vessel, having a .capacity of 100 litres, equal to 88 quarts by English measure, or 105 quarts . United States measure. I'rom this collecting vessel the milk bottles supplied to tho public are filled. In this way the milk during the whole of it? passajw has only a few .seconds contact with the air. Tho bottles and all tho vessels employed in tlie process are -thoroughly..sterilised each time previous to'iife, in a'special'apparatus provided for this work. Before milking, the cow's udders and flanks aro carefnllv cleansed and the men aro required it disinfect their hands ami wear a white linen coat. By these methods the chance of diwapo germs entering the milk is reduced to a minimum, 1 especially as the milk is only in contact witli the air a short wbilo. which is the chief Fource- of contamination. I?ow>Tts indi- •' ert<> that milk cWained by this process answer.; completely to all hygienic requirements. "The refusal by the Agricnltnrnl Dormriment of the free offer from Mr. W. C. Buchanan, M.J'., nf a farm in tho Wairsrapa district for the purpose, of raising stud stock w>n lio t'ermod nothing less than nn egregious blunder."—Opinion of Mr. .T. Mcsicy, president; of (he Clutlia branch of tho i'armers' "Union. Dairy farmers must nave strong serviceable and easily-cleaned cans. Victor is the name of tho can that suits every re quireineut, and it'pays handsomely to uso theso cans and no others. Every lid will fit every can. Send for a catalogue to Albert J. Tarton, Oartertoik '

AGBICULTURAL DEPARTMENT'S POSITION. Replying to n communication by 1 Mr. 0. Thorburn, sscretary of t-lip RanI mati Cooperative Dairy Company, 011 lnattois relating to cow-testing, Mr. >Y. Singleton, of tbo Dairying Division of tho Agricultural Department, fays:— "So far as the subsidising of a U>wtesting Association is conccrned, we. find we liavc now in hand all. the work we tan undertake for the ensuing season. Uio associations which our Department are controlling are in districts where wo have a resident dairy instructor. 'We have only our butter and .cheese instructors avatlablo for this work of testing, and wo find it necessary to have the associations with which we are directly connected in closo proximity to' their headquarters, so as to save time. , .. "Regarding the formation of an association, we have littlo to add 'to what appeared in the Agricultural Journal of June 15. Where a number 'of factories can co-operate and fornix cow-testing association of 300 cows, they can engage a testing officer solely for the testing of tho sample.?, etc., and put tho cloHcal work under the supervision of a dairy factory secretary. In this way the testing and figuring would probhbly cost in the neighbourhood of 2s. per cow, outside the cost of bottles, balance, dipper, and box. With a. smaller number it is sometimes possible to arrange with the factory manager to do the testing and with. .the.factory secretarv to do tho figuring." ' "'The supplies for. cow-testing wfnc.li were in New Zealand at.tho beginning of this season have been drawn upon very largely, and stocks are exhausted soyfar as bottles and balances are concerned. Your "members would have to await importations from Australia, and it is not altogether. certain that even Australia will have sufficient balances offering. In ahy case your first test-would bo so late this - .spring that it would be impossible to . get 'figures which would bo a, true criterion of the cows' production this season, tinder the circumstances it might • be better to leave the matter over until, say, June, when a good start could be made for the ensuing season." .