566 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. [Aug. 2, 1920. 



fumigate it or spray with formalin. He was also advised to destroy the 

 moulds then on the butter-box timber before making up more boxes. It is 

 understood these suggestions have been given effect to. 



This is a striking illustration of how easily the newest and best planned 

 dairy produce factory premises may be infected, and shows what an amount 

 of watchfulness and care is necessary to keep everything connected with 

 th<^ manufacture of dairy produce free from sources of contamination. The 

 factory manager must be ever on guard against re-infection. 



Water used in Manufacturing Butter. 



In the present example the plate D6 indicates a water of unexceptionable 

 purity, judging by the small bacteriological count. This is in marked 

 contrast to other waters examined, notably in Examples Nos. 2 and 3 

 described in the previous articles. In the present case the water is obtained 

 from a spring near the surface, the current draining rapidly into an 

 excavated reservoir through a bed of water-worn coarse quartz gravel and 

 sand. This reservoir is situated about half a mile from the factory, to 

 which the water is brought through galvanised iron pipes by pumping. 

 Good though this water is, it might be still further improved by filtering, in 

 order to free it from sedimentary matter which will, as time goes on, 

 accumulate more and more in such a length of pipe line. 



While on the subject of butter-wash waters, it may be of interest to 

 mention the case of another butter factory which had been in trouble for 

 some time through the bad keeping quality of the product turned out. 

 This is one of the several cases recently investigated and remedied to the 

 satisfaction of the manufacturing company. Samples of water (taken from 

 the source of supply — a well) were examined and found to be heavily 

 polluted, among other organisms present being members of the coli and 

 proteus groups — evidence of surface contamination. 



The manager of the company, on being advised of the results of the first 

 examination, caused shafts to be sunk in various directions round and 

 more or less distant from the factory. Samples of the water thus obtained 

 were sent to the Department, and on examination they were found to be 

 similarly infected to the sample first sent in. On inquiiy it was ascei'tained 

 that this factory is situated in the midst of low-lying swampy country, the 

 underground supplies of water evidently having soaked through the surface 

 soil. The directors of the company have now decided to remove the factory 

 to a site where a purer water supply can be obtained — a commendable step. 



A good water supply is an abscjlute essential to the manufacture of good 

 butter. Now that pasteurisation has been generally adopted in order to 

 kill off or prevent the develojmient of injurious organisms that have obtained 

 access to the milk or cream, it is manifestly the height of folly to allow a 

 fresh infection to take place by washing the butter in the churns with con- 

 taminated water. A water-filtering plant should form part of the equipment 

 of every factory. In the majority of cases it would remedy matters ; 

 if not, a new and clean supply should be obtained if at all possible. Even if 

 the factory had to be removed, it would be an expenditure well undertaken. 



