Dairying and Science.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 337, 12 June 1894, Page 2

Dairying and Science.

This was the subject of a lecture deliyered by Mr A H. Wilson, the dairy expert, at Birmingham, on Saturday night. The Farmers' Club bad called a special meeting to hear the lecture and as the Babcock tester, was practically explained and milk tester the proceeding* were exceedingly -interesting. -■; Mr Frank Spencer, chairman of the factory at Cheltenham presided, ..and briefl y introduced the lecturer. . . ,•■;. ; ; ; Mr Wilson said that be could congratulate the farmers -in the district on having a Farmers' Club as it was a great aid to the whole of the practicnl men who adopted farming as a living, especially in determining means of dealing with pests, grasses most suitable for the district, and now the question of dairying. He thien went very fully into the subject, of the dairy industry recommending the Ayrshire cow crossed with the Shorthorn bull as a serviceable animal as regards milk and also profitable from a butcher V, point. of view. The explanation of the separator and the clear manner in which be ,«x---plained centrifugal action demonstrating it with an apparatus on the table, war a lesson in itself He showed how that the skim milk being the heaviest, under the enormous centrifugal speed it was thrown to the outside ot^the bowl and the cream was skimmed on the inside of this. The determination of the speeds of engines and shafting was an important point as if machines were made to -work automatic* ally under a certain speed and temperature, the pulleys should be made to approximate that result, otherwise a loss in under hi over separation would consequentlj result .■_ ]4 \ The cooling of milk was exhaustively dealt with, and the question of the recent discoveries in science as regards tho bacteria arising in this product ex- • plained. When a cow is milked*' if under the ordinary healthy conditions, the milk was abnost free from organism,: but the favorable condition of temperature had a tendency for those ta propagate in millions. Milk should, ttarefcfei,' bo cooled down as low as possible at the farm and, if possible, aerated. iQn. this primarily depended the prosperity of the dairying industry as care of the product in the unconcentrated state was what was the main factor, in future success. It was as sensitive to smell as a thermometer was to heat, and this fact had been lost sight of in the past. -* \[ He then touched on the question of soaring cream and showed that . no scientific line had been as yet, adopted. By the introduction of litmus papers* however, which showed a different series of discolorations when under tiie influence of acidity, this oould.be fixed, as definitely as the question of he*tt>y the thermometer. If the exact sourness requisite to produce the beat results in churning was only arrived at, it would be seen that something had been done by bringing science to bear on the question. . . -. .'', 7 Science and dairying had been running on antagonistic fines in the past v whilst in the future they would require to go hand in hand, as the secrets of nature were fast being unravelled by the chemist and engineer, and hence defined data had now been established in many departments of knowledge hitherto obscure. He then explained, churns, the temperature most favorable to churning being between 50 and 60. Every person should have a thermometer. / '?. He dealt on the question of cooling cars and insulated chambers, and advocated the introduction of better coolhig appliances in coestal steamers. v? ' : " The Babcock tester was shown and worked, the milk being precipitated by sulphuric acid in view of the audience, and afterwards the butter fat was obtained by the centrifugal action of the machine. § | There were nearly 10,000 tons of butter going to England from Victoria next year, whilst 5000 would be sent from New South Wales, and New Zealand would probably send 2500. This looked a lot, yet it would be all sold, and if New Zealand would only make , a first-class article they would sell it, if not, they must allow others to step in, but he had no doubt .that New Zealand farmers would assist the colony to send Home only a first-class article. By doing so they would bring a large amount of money here which was badly wanted. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the lecturer, on the motion of Mr Fergusson seconded by Mr Burn, and a similar vote to Mr Spencer terminated a very interesting meeting. .