THE THERMOMETER IN DAIRYING

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1626, 29 April 1903, Page 63

THE THERMOMETER IN DAIRYING

I frequently (writes Mr A. Ccnlon, Dairy Expert. Tasmania) have a difficulty m impressing a dairy farmer with the necessity for a systematic and intelligent u-e of that inexpensive but essential instrument —a dairv thermometer. Nevertheless the importance of a correct thermometer in the various operations of the dairy must not be under-estimated, as both the quality and quantity of butter and cheese produced is likely to be seriously affected by carelessness in this direction. When purchasing the cheaper kinds of dairy thermometer, it is advisable to test them with one known to register correctly, as accuracy is not a strong point in these cheaper instruments. It found incorrect, the variation should bo marked on the wooden casing of the instrument, or on tbs wall where it is generally kept. . Frequently a difficulty arises from the mercury in the tuba becoming disconnected, and separating into distinct globules; this may generally be rectified by gently tapping the tliermcmeter on a table, or by plunging into hot water. Tn obstinate* cases T have succeeded in bringing the particles into cohesion by placing the instrument, bulb downwards, in one of the flask pockets of a Babcock tester, and submitting it to the centrifugal force of the machine; or it may be fivinlv fixed, in a horizontal position, and bulb outwards, to the top of a. separator bowl, and be treated in a similar manner. The following notes on temperatures are intended for use in small dairies: When separating for butter making, tho temperature of the milk should never be allowed to fall below SOdeg. Cold milk has a greater density and viscosity than hot milk, therefore with hot milk a greater quantity can be separated efficiently in a given time. If the temperatnre of the milk falls too low, cream is apt to be lost, especially if the feed or supply of milk to the separator has not been checked. The last of the cream is also difficult to remove; when this happens, pass a plentiful supply of clean water (at a temperature of lOOdeg.) through the separator before stopping the machine. Cream ripens quickly at a high temperature, slowly at a. low one; therefore use your thermometer to regulate the ripening of your cream to the correct stage of acidity by churning time. A suitable ripening temperature for cream, where daily churning is the rule, is 70deg.; when ripe, cool the cream immediately, and keen it cool until churned When churning only twice a week, ripen f ho cream at a lower temperature, say, GOrlng. Churning temperature in winter may be fixed at. 60deg.. m-A in summer at as T °w a tornporatur© as possible. Tn win felt is,advisable to use the washing water at about the same temperature that of the butter in the churn: in summer use tho coldest water procurable. Small quantities of cream may be pasteurised by heating it in a tin vessel immersed in water over the fire; bring the temperature up to 155 deg., and keep it at that for about ten minutes; then at once cool by setting the vessel in cold running water, and keeping the cream stirred. This refers to separator cream. When cream is raised on tire old style of setting in dishes it is rarely advisable to pasteurise it for butter making, as particles cf coagulated skim milk are frequently reu moved with the cream. These particles of curd are toughened by heat, and form white specks in the butter. For cheese making, the evening’s milk, if kept in a pure atmosphere, at a temperature of 60deg., will give, as a rule, a nice acidity to the whole when the morning’s milk is added. When .adding the rennet the milk should be at a* temperature of 86deg. In cooking the curd, or scalding, the whey should gradually be brought up to from 96 to lOOdeg., and the temperature should be maintained until the curd is dipped or removed. If no conveniences exist for heating the contents of the cheese tub bj T steam or hot water, it becomes necessary to remove a portion of the milk or whey, and to heat this portion by placing the vessel containing it in an ordinary copper; care must be taken to keep the milk or whey stirred while heating, and never to allow the temperature to rise above 130 deg. The curd may be put to press at 80deg. If a Babcock tester Is used, the flasks should always be immersed in water at a temperature of 140 deg. before the fat percentages are read off.

Suppliers to the Awahuri (Palmerston) Daily Factory will receive per lb on their butter fat for the month of March K a price highly sail <3factory considering the state of the butter market.