THE PRODUCTION OF GOOD WHOLESOME MILK.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17654, 2 September 1919, Page 3

THE PRODUCTION OF GOOD WHOLESOME MILK.

AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE

DAIRYING INDUSTRY,

VALUABLE EXPERT ADVICE. •

In view of the substantial increase in the number of dairy farms in this district, and of the fact that a number -of young men, more or .less inexperienced, are entering the industry, the following article specially written for the "Chronicle" by Mr C. S. Dickinson, Manager of th? Westmere Dairy Co., should prove of interest and value.

The quest: jn has often been asked by the dairy farmer of New Zealand, "How it is that New Zealand dairy produce does not bring the same prices on the English market as the English made article.' Is it because our cheese and butter makers are not up to the standard of those at home? Or, is it because of the long journey our produce has to travel before it reaches the market, and thus deteriorating in quality? I should say that neither of these suggestions is the. correct solution, but that the whole secret of the situation is this: —Most of the cheese and butter made in England and Scotland is made by the person who does the milking: in other words, it is home made. And, as their produce is placed on the market, and sold according to its quality, they know only too well that to make that quality depends largely if not wholly on the quality of the milk used. Knowing this, they are therefore most particular and painstaking in the care of the milk, and see that nothing but the best finds its way to the cheese vat, or separator, hence the better quality and consequently better price.

Though the dairy industry of New Zealand is carried on on somewhat different lines to those at home, in as. much as New Zealand has little or no home made'dairy produce, but instead works on the co-operative system, each district pooling its milk or cream, and running its own dairy factory, there is, no reason why a higher standard of, perfection than that already attained cannot be aimed at. And with that object in view, the dairy farmer of New Zealand should be made fully alive to the importance and necessity of delivering to the factory milk or cream that is free from taint or contamination' as is possible to be brought, and thus giving the factory manager no excuse whatever for making anything but a first grade article, which eventually will benefit himself, the company he works for, and the dairy industry at large.

To obtain and keep milk for any length of time there are many things to combat. In the first place it is necessary to recognise that once impurities gain access to the milk no amount of straining or purifying can wholly eradicate them. Efficient pasteurization of milk or cr,eam will be of great benefit In that it destroys a certain amount of dangerous bacteria, and adds to its keeping qualities. However, it is only a partial remedy for milk or cream which has once become contaminated. It therefore follows that which has become polluted . remain more' or less so according to the extent of pollution and that care, on the part of the producer to prevent contamination is infinitely more.valuable than any purifying treatment that can be -applied .later.'- -

The first conditions essential for the production of good wholesome milk-^—are healthy cows, clean pasture, and good drinking water. Healthy cows because it is impossible to draw good wholesome milk fr-'mi a cow that is suffering from any diseases such as tuberculosis, inflamation of the udder or any other such complaint. Clean pasture free from noxious weeds, such as pennyroyal, watercress, etc:, is most essential in that weeds of that description that the cow might eat will give the milk a most disagreeable flavour which is almost impossible to get rid of. Clean drinking water (a running stream for preference) is of vital importance to the milk that the cow is to produce. Swampy stagnant water is most detrimental to the production of good sweet smelling milk, and is moreover a breeding place for all sorts of diseases.

Surmising we have the three above mentioned factors that will give us the required article, viz., pure, sweet, and uncontaminated milk. It is now our aim to keep it in this state until it reaches the factory. With this point in view the first and most important precaution is the cleanliness of the general surroundings of the milking Shed. The shed, if possible, should be, built on a slight rise in the ground and well away from

pig stys, calf pens and such like odours. The floor of the shed as well as that of the adjoining yard, should be built of concrete, with convenient drains and drain traps, and carried well away from the milking shed. Where milk is to be kept over night for delivery next morning to the factory, a can stand for that purpose should be erected on the prevailing windward side of the shed and at least 40 or 50 feet away, well in the open. There is no necessity to have it roofed in, it is better without; a roof only harbours small birds. All that is necessary is a piece of small meshed Wire netting over the tops of the cans to keep dogs or cats from getting at the milk.

It would be well to remember that when the temperature of the milk is from 75 to 85 degrees, or when the animal heat is still in it, it is most susceptible to taints or smells, and any injurious bacteria that is allowed to get in it then will develop most rapidly. Therefore, it is a wise precaution to avoid ' all risk, and immediately the cow is milked, to remove the milk at once to the can stand; or, to insure still better results, let the milk trickle slowly over a milk cooler before entering the can. It is also a good plan to divide the evening's milk into as many cans as possible, it both helps to cool and aerate it, and on no account mix the next morning's warm milk with the previous night's, but keep in separate cans until it reaches the factory. .

As the principle source of contaminated milk is dirt, there should be. in every milking shed a good supply of clean water always handy. Before sitting down to milk, the milker should see that his' hands are perfectly clean, then with clean water and cloth wash carefully the cow's udder, dry carefully to prevent dirty drips getting into the pail. It is ,a great mistake to dry clean, or merely rub the dirt off the udder with the hands; it cannot possibly be done thoroughly, consequently the dirt and dust are constantly falling . into the bucket as the cow is being milked, thus giving it a flying start on its journey of destruction, for it simply means destroying good milk when bacteria from such a source gains admittance. Milking buckets, strainers, etc., should be washed after every milking with warm water, in which washing soda has been dissolved, then rinsed with clean water and put in a clean place till wanted again. To use a cloth for washing milk utensils is a very bad practice unless thoroughly scalded after using; it soon becomes a hot bed of injurious microbes. A scrubbing brush applied thoroughly will do all that is necessary. The milk cans should ■ receive special attention, in that they have to hold the milk from the evening milking until it reaches the factory, a matter usually of about 14 or 15 hours, and unless the job is thoroughly done evidence of neglect will be plainly visible on the sides or bottoms of the cans when they are emptied at the factory. -

It is a common practice for factory suppliers to cart home whey or skim milk "in their milk cans. On reaching, home they should be immediately emptied and scrubbed for, if left to. dry on, it is next door to impossible to clean it thoroughly. Milk cans should be well tinned, free from rust and rough solder patches, as such parts are lodging .places for impurities which even a scrubbing brush -wills not remove properly. When washed stand the cans where the sun and fresh air can get at them.

.The advent.of,the milking,machine with its modern improvements has done much to lighten the drudgery of milking. In proper hands, an up-to-date milking plant is quite as sanitary, if not more, so, than hand milkiiig, and much easier on the cows. ; But on the other hand if a milking machine is neglected, and not thoroughly cleaned every day it quickly gets infested with filthy germs and becomes a curse to the dairy factory.

The two main points to look at in selecting a machine, are efficiency .in milking, and convenience for cleaning. Though there are many parts to be attended to and kept clean in connection with a milking plant, if it is done every day it soon becomes quite a simple matter and will amply reward the farmer for his pains. In erecting a milking plant the vacuum tank should be placed outside the shed where the air is purest, and in a position that can be easily . got at for cleaning.- The milK chute, which has done much to make the milking machine the success it is (inasmuch as the milk is at once cooled and aerated before it enters the cans), should be of sufficient length, say 30 to 40 ft., with a very slight grade which makes the cooling more efficient. Care should be taken to have it placed well in the open and away from odours of the cow yard, and on no account have it running through the coav shed or engine room. A raised platform along the entire length of the chute will make it convenient for washing. Before milking it is well to rinse all rubber parts in cold water. Wash the cows teats and udder well before applying teat cups. An eye should be kept on the rubber inflations for cracks or splits in same which would let the milk get back into the vacuum tank and if left there for any length of time would contaminate the whole vacuum system. As there is not the time for thoroughly cleaning the machine after the evening milking, clear cold water should be first drawn through the pipes and then scalding water (a Primus lamp is a handy thing for boiling up a tin of water for the purpose.) Disconnect the rubber parts and place them in cold water in which a little lime has been added. After the morning milking the whole machine should be properly cleaned and aired. Disconnect all milk pipes and brush out.

open up vacuum tank and scrub with warm soda and water, and leave open till wanted again; run the brush through all rubber tubes, then place with teat cups in fresh water. ARTIFICIAL FEEDING. Now that the dairy farmer has become fully alive to the necessity of artificial feeding to augment his autumn milk yield, it would be as well not to overlook the fact of the danger to the quality of the milk produced if a proper and systematic method of feeding, is not adopted. ■The four principal crops grown for this purpose are turnips, rape, lucerne, and clover, all of which give the milk a decidedly strong and unpleasant flavour if fed in large quantities, or too soon before milking. Turnips should be pulled at least 24 hours before being fed out, and then given to the cows immediately after milking. Lucerne should be cut and left lying a day before being fed out, and should also be given immediately after milking. In the case of rape and clover both of which if fed too freely sets up a fermenting or gassy action in the milk, which is most detrimental to the cheese or butter made from it. These two crops are usually eaten off and. not cut or pulled as the two former. To get the best results from this class of feed the cows should be put on as soon after milking as possible, and then for three-quarters of an hour at most, any longer will do , more harm than good.

There is still one other rather iniiportant item in connection wiUa tlie production and' delivery of good milk to the dairy factory, and though it might bear somewhat, indirectly in the matter, is perhaps none the less effective. And that is the example shown by the management of the factory in keeping the factory and surroundings in a clean and tidy state, and as free from contaminating odours as is possible to be. Apart from any moral example there might be, it is most essential that the whey or skim milk tank are properly cleaned every day. If it is not, it very quickly becomes filthy and evil smelling, and is not a fit receptacle to hold stuff that eventually is put into milk cans to be carted home for feeding pigs and calves. And it would be rather unwise on the manager's part to pass uncomplimentary remarks about a supplier's milk when the evil may have originated from his whey or skim milk tank through its being neglected. As the whey has to be held in the tank until the next morning, about 18 to 20 hours altogether, and being in a luke-warm state, it naturally follows that any injurious bacteria will quickly develop. It is an excellent plan to heat the whey to say 150 degrees, which will retard to a certain extent this development, and will not only improve its keeping but will be much better lor feeding to the stock, in that any tuberculous or other injurious germs which will be likely to harm them will be killed.

In conclusion, I should like to impress upon .the mind of the milk producer, that too much importance cannot be placed upon the quality of milk or cream that is supplied to the dairy factories of New Zealand, nor can the injurious effect to the dairying industry at large, be fully determined, if the milk brought is of an inferior grade. Not only, does the industry suffer, but the Individ* ual milk producer as well, and he is the one that is! hit firct. It would doubtless surprise the majority of the dairy farmers of New Zealand, who are supplying their milk to a cheese factory, to really know the difference in the amount of cheese that can be1 produced from a given quantity of milk that is fresh and sweet, and from that which is on the turn or sour. It is a fallacy to suppose now whey separation is in vogue in most cheese factories, that nothing is lost from a "fast vat"" (a term used in cheesemaking for a vat of milk that is high in acidity, or soured), for it is not whey, but solids as well, which go off in fine particles and which do not come out of the separator with the cream, but stick to the discs and separator bowl along with other dirt and impurities, and of course,, is lost for good. Though pasteurisation of the milk before it is made into cheese overcomes this loss to a certain extent, it does not do away with the fact that this expensive and cumbersome apparaus would not be necessary if the milk was in a wholesome state when brought to the factory. There should be no reason whatever why New Zealand as a dairying country should not produce an article equal in. quality to any in the world, and with care and attention on the part of the producer in maintaining the very highest quality possible he is doing by far the greater part towards ; that end. For no matter how expert j a cheese or butter maker might be, it is an utter impossibility fdr him to make a high grade • article out of a low grade milk. And until a uniform high grade product is placed on the market at Home, New Zealand cannot expect the highest price for her dairy produce.