BE CLEAN.

Northern Advocate, 22 January 1920, Page 3

BE CLEAN.

WITH YOUR MILK

ALSO WITH THE MACHINES

ADVICE FROM A PROFESSOR

"Necessity is the mother of invention," is a well-known proverb (says Prof. H. H. Dean in the; Canadian '''Dairyman"). The lack of suitable hand labour for milking cows has been the chief spur to inventors in the perfecting of a machine which would do away with at least half the usual help required to milk a largo number of cows, and also enable th? work to bo done by more or less unskilful hands— at least the emphasis is changed from skilful manipulation of tho cow's teats with human hands to that of the mechanical skill iv operating a machine. Nearly every man would rather run a machine than do the work with his own hands. The development, and use of the milking machine is likely to have one detrimental effect on ihe milking of ro ws—it will likely drive women from tho dairy stables and put this work almost entirely in the hands of men. However beneficial this may be for women, it is not in the best interests of cleanliness, kindness to cows, and all those things in the dairy industry which depend upon feminine care to a large extent, for the best results. The women on Canadian fa Tins are already overworked and should be relieved of the care and labour of milking as far as possible, but it is hoped that they will still keep a watchful eye on the milk, and the milking machine, but more especially on the men who operate and care for the machine. Without this womanly supervision, we should be more or less alarmed at the placing of so important an operation as milking in the hands of average men. The whole question of improvement in the quality of our manufactured dairy products, such as butter, cheese, condensed and powder milks, depends in no small degree upon clean m : lk. Clean milk results from clean cows, fed on clean feed, kept in clean stables, milked by clean persons or clean machinery into'a clean pail—all of which means that a dairyman should have the instinct of cleanliness "bom into him," and afterwards have it impressed upon his person and memory by a mother who sees that hands, face, neck and ears are kept clean. It is strange that the average boy dislikes soap and water more than anything else. It is related of a certain boy who invariably came to the table with dirry hands and face and was almost invariably sent to wash them before he was allowed to eat, that on one occasion his mother said to him, "Johnny, why don't you wash before coming to the table, because you know that you are always sent to clean up before you are allowed to eat anything?" Johnny countered by saying: "You forgot onc't, so you did." This explain.* the attitude of most boys on the questior of cleanliness, and this frequently Micks to the ,„an throughout life. I have dwelt on this question of cleanliness because it is probably the most difficult phase of the whole milking machine question.

HOW TO DO TT

Man\ persons would gladly keep the machine clean if they know how. Owing to the fact that some parts of most makes of machines will not allow boiling water to bo used on them, it is not an easy matter to keep these machines bacteriologically clean. The modem way to judge of the cleanliness of milk and of its fitness for human consumption is to make a bacterial count of the milk. This may not be entirely correct, and there is some difference of opinion as to the number of bacteria which may be allowed in milk and still consider it safe to use, bu f the bacterial standard is coming more and more into use by milk exports, boards of health, and other organisations which have to do with maintaining a high standard of purity in milk.

There are several agents which will kill bacteria, to which the name "bactericides" or •'germ killers" is given. Among these are the coal-tar by-pro-ducts of which carbolic acvd is perhaps the best known; and the chlorine compounds, of which chloride of lime is most familiar. There are now liquid chloride compounds sold under various trade names. All of these give good results when added to pii'o water, in which parts of the milking machine are submerged when not ia use.

A GOOD PLAN

Briefly, the following p'nn of washing and eanng for tho nmebine should be followed. Assuming thnv the unit is clean, clean water should be sucked through the tout cups and tubes, into the pair, to remove the germ-killing solution. Empty this from the pail, and force through another lot of clean water. The unit is then ready to use. After all ihe cows have been milked, cold water should be sucked into the pails, then hot water with some alkali in solution to remove grease from the teat cups, tubes and pails, then clean hot water, Then place the rubber parts and teat cups in a solution made by dissolving standard chloiide of lime at the rate of one pound per ten gallons of water, using only the clear solution. Some advise dissolving the pound of chloride in one gallon of water, then pouring off the clear liquid, and to this add nine gallons of water). The solution should be kept in a clean tub or other vessel large enough to hold all the rubber parts of the milking machine iv a submerged condition. As often as necessary, a fresh solution 1 should be made, which will bo about twice a month as a rule—of toner in hot weather. At least once a week, better every day, all the rubbeis should be disconnected and the inside thoroughly brushed with hot water and a soda

solution

Tho metal parts such as pail, top, etc., iiiay be washed in the usual way. Tho vacuum pipe line .should be drained and kept clean. In those machines which use a rubber lining inside i metal teat cup, great care is needed that milk does

not get between the rubber and metal, as in this case there would be a source of bad flavour and bacteria, which no amount of washing and no form of "germ-killer" would bo able to entirely overcome. HANDY MAN, HANDY MACHINE. Will it pay to purchase a milking machine? is the question most frequently asked. The answer depends on the number of cows which aro milked, the availability of hand milkers, whether or not there is some one on the farm who has tho necessary mechanical ability to operate the machine, and whether or nol there are facilities for keeping the milking machine clean. As to the number of cows required in order to make it pay, this will vary all the way from 15 to 50 or more. On some farms where there is a good market for milk or cream, and hand milkers are scarce it would pay. On other farms, 25 to 50 cows would be needed to make it a paying proposition. As to mechanical ability required, it needs some one who is "handy" with machinery to get the best results. The vacuum pump, pipe-line, pulsator, etc., in connection with a machine for milking cows arc not complicated, but they need someone who knows how to "fix" things, if anything goes wrong. Some men have such well-trained mechanical ears that they can tell by the sound whether or not a machine is running properly, and their mechanical instinct is so highly developed thai, they know at once the source of the trouble. Such a man is invaluable on a dairy farm. As to cleaning facilities, these are not such but what nearly all ordinary farms are able to provide them. The chief things needed are hot water, soda, brushes, "germ-killer" urd "a nose for dirt," together with a will to keep things clean. With this combination, no one need fear the effects of a machine on the quality of milk. Some claim that it is not possibte to produce high-grade milk when using a milking machine. The fact that there are many farmers doing the "impossible" relates this argument. Summing vp —the milking machine is here to stay, and will be -vi increasingly important factor in dairy operations in the future. The chief thing is to keep it clean. Start it o a young cows without milking them by hind, and in a few years the dairyman will wonder how he ever got along without a machine to holp in what is admitted to be the most troublesome operation on a dairy farm —milking the cows.