CASEIN MANUFACTURE.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12881, 13 May 1913, Page 3

CASEIN MANUFACTURE.

WORKS AT ARAMOHO

(By "DAIRY-FARMER.")

I had the chance to see over the Casern Company's works at Aramoho the other day, and it struck me that 33 so many dair- farmers and others are' interested m casein, .a few notes-on the process might foe of interest. The manager very kindly showed me round, and explained everything as we wentalong. The company has a private siding, .and the trains pull in and unload at the factory. The skimmed milk is poured into a large vat and somo sour milk.is added. Next morning; the milk has turned to curds and whey. The whey is then run off, and tho curd put through" a press which presses out most of the moisture. It is then put through a crusher, which very- much resembles an oat crusher, to break it up into small pieces for tho drying: kilns. These kilns are simply largo ovens through which hot air jr forced, and the casein comes out at tho other end dry and hard. T+ n then put into-baj?3*of about ]S0 lbs weight, and is ready for export. The whole process is so simple it seems almost mcrediWo,

Tho process of drying is rather ingenious. As the casein icome3 from the crusher it is put into iron trays •about three feet square, -.which ,are" put into a steel frame truck on wheels' holding about eight trays. The trucks are on rails which run right -through tho ovens which hold a large number -of trucks at a time. When the drying process is finished the trucks run" on through the' ovens to an 'elevator at other end, into which the trays are emptied. Beside the elevator is a turn-table like that used by the nattways, only very much smaller, and the trucks go back empty again to the crusher. The elevator carries the dried casein to tho second floor, from which it is brought by a chute for bagging below.

The us.ea to which casein can be put by manufacturers are almost innumorablo when wo reoliso that it can be made into buttons, glaze for linen collars, umbrella handles, sticks, marking chips, glues,, pastes, totoh-brush Jmndl--0.5, it can he seen 'that its uses are manitold. It is coming into favour now as cabinet-makers' glue, and it h paid to be efficient and chear> for that purpose.

I was shown a tumbler full of liqiii'l casein—it can easily bo turned from the crystal stage to tho liquid, .and it looked) like a thick ipapeir-hanger's paste. To this was added a very weak .solution of formalin, and in a few minute? it could bo taken out of tho tumbler in a lump and moulded to any shapo required before it sots hard. This must bo a great advantage from v manufacturer's point of view, and onusat ih (is exceedingly tough arih sprinory. A little lio.uid casein was pasted on to a -piece of stiff writing paprv and pressed on to a -Mccc of glass. I" f. few minutes it had stuck so famthat it could only be washed off. A", to the vexed, question of whether it will not bo wry "detrimental to the calves to hnve tho casein taken out of tho '-;mined milk, the management assured me that a little phosphate of limn added to the whey makes it as good 0'; before. Tho worst .point about this if! that the struggling*dairy farmer inny, in somo instance^, well the risein and not buy the phosphate of lime which would have serious lesults hi the young cattle reared and the average calf is treated badly enough, nowad'avs in tall conscience Tho casein is shipped to Hamburg to r. firm of German n:ianufacturer.s, who c;>n take lare;o quantities i»t a payablo price. It seems a pity it doe.» not p;n io Knf'lirtid. Mv thanks aro due to the manager and secretary for so kindly showing me round.—''Farmers' Union Advocate."