TRIAL OF THE MURCHLAND MILKING-MACHINE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9011, 17 October 1892, Page 6

TRIAL OF THE MURCHLAND MILKING-MACHINE.

On the invitation of Mr. Harvey, tinsmith and manufacturer of dairy requisites, Durham street, a number of gentlemen proceeded in one of Paterson and Co.'s large brakes to Mr. Robert Wallace's farm, Mangere, to see one of the Murchland patent milking-machines in operation. Mr. A. Harvey, we may mention, has obtained the patent rights of the proprietors for the whole of New Zealand, and has fitted up the complete apparatus in Mr. Wallace's fine byre, where it can be worked to great advantage. Amongst those who went out from Auckland were Messrs. A. Harvey (senior and junior), R. Duder, A. Kidd, Hipkins, G. Peacocke, Caverhill, sen., A. Alison, Ritchie (Morrin and Co.), SergeantMajor Bush (of the Permanent Force), J. Stone (of Newmarket), Swinnerton, C. Parley (manager for Reynolds and Co.), J. J. Swinnerton, sen., F. A. White, G. Smart, and a Herald reporter. Mr. W. Dunwoodie and Captain Pitt joined the party at Onehunga, and Messrs. McCorkendale (sen. and jun.), with Mesdames McCorkendale drove out in a buggy. W hen the visitors arrived they found that Mr. Spragg and his daughter, Messrs. Ambfary (2), English and Martin (of the well-known dairy firm), and Short had arrived on the scene, and all were cordially received by Mr. Wallace. No time was lost in driving in the cattle and all present admired the splendid condition and quality of the cows as they entered the yard and filed into their several stalls. Mr. Wallace was warmly congratulated on his fine herd of 54 milch cows. Mr. Short at once adjusted the appliances, attaching four teats each to seven cows, and one man being set to work the exhaust pump, the four separate streams of milk issuing from the teats of each cow could be seen flowing steadily into the air-tight can or receiver, for the lid being of glass the whole process can be watched accurately. The greatest interest was manifested by all present in the process itself, and none of the cows appeared in the least incommoded by the novel process of milking ; but, on the contrary, seemed to enjoy it, for they fed contentedly the whole time. We may remark that although Murchland and Co. forward the rubber teat cups, pipes, taps, etc., the whole of the rest of the fittings are manufactured by Mr. Harvey at his Durham-street workshop, except, of course, the exhaust pump. It is claimed for the Murchland Milking Machine that it was the first to distribute the power so as to milk several cows at once. The pail into which the four teats are led is a vacuum pail, having a pipe connected with the vacuum tank fitted on a loft over the byre. This is one of Marchland's patents. Nicholson and Grey recently adopted it in connection with their own milking machines, but the English Courts ruled that it was an infringement of Murchland's patent, and granted an injunction. The machine exhibited on Saturday is fitted to milk seven or eight cows at a time, but the number could be extended indefinitely, although it is said that about 25 cows would be the maximum for useful purposes. The gain alleged is that two men can with this apparatus do the work of five or six, and a great feature is the impossibility of any contamination to the milk either from the odour of the byre or dirty hands, for the milk flows into the air-tight can direct from the teats. Mr. Harvey informs us that he has fitted up this apparatus at Mr. Wallace's byre as an experiment, but he has another which he intends exhibiting at the agricultural shows at Hamilton on the 26th and 27th instant, at Hawera on the 3rd of November, and at the Auckland show on the 11th and 12th of November. Of course, some suggestions were made as to how improvements might be effected, and one of those which commended itself to Mr. Harvey was that the weight of the tin cover of the rubber teat might be materially reduced by attaching the four brass taps to the cover of the vacuum can instead of as at present to the tin covers of the teats. Mr. Short had on view a cover with these cocks attached, which he had designed for this purpose. After the party had fully observed the operation of the milking apparatus, Mr. Wallace kindly put his cream separator to work on the newly-drawn milk, and a horse having been attached to the horse-power machine, it was set to work, and in a short time the visitors had the satisfaction of watching the two streams— one of pure cream and one of skim milk—flowing into separate cans, while they were kindly allowed to regale themselves with drinks of the skimi milk. This machine we have already described. It is a centrifugal motion, working at a speed of 7000 revolutions per minute, and capable of treating 100 gallons of milk per hour. Mr. Farley had brought with him one of BiibcocK'a patent milk testers, and tested the milk from four cows, and the results obtained were somewhat surprising. The milk from one cow gave the high percentage of 13 per cent,, two others 10 per cent., while the fourth only gave 4 per cent., yet all those cows were fed on the same pasture, and all were in equally good condition. Mr; Stone, engineer, of Newmarket, has made, a dozen of these testing machines for Reynolds and Co., and it was one of those which Mr. Farley operated with on Saturday. The visitors thanked Mr. Wallace, and after a pleasant drive through Onehunga, Epsom, and Newmarket, reached town shortly after six o'clock.