The Bulletin. 45 



FAKM DAIRYING. 



By J. C. KENDALL. 



I liiive been assigned to talk to the women because tliey are the ones who have 

 charge of over three-fourths of th(^ dairy work done in tlie State. Most of the 

 butter made in North Carolina is produced on a small scale. The strictly dairy 

 farms (farms deriving 40 per cent or more of their income from dairy products) 

 make up only about 4 per cent of the totiil number of farms. Another fact worthy 

 of note is that only a little over 10 per cent of the butler made in llie State is 

 sold, which shows that butter is made largely for home consumption. 



Tliese figures show that we have to do with farm dairying; and its problems 

 are just as great, if not greater, in proportion to the work done, than the prob- 

 lems to be found in the older dairy districts. 



it is a very common practice to allow calves to run with the cows. Some milk 

 the first milk — -the poorest — and allow the calf to take the rest. Have you ever 

 seen one of these cows "hold up her milk" and give it down only when the calf 

 was allowed to suck; and have you ever seen the milker shove the calf away 

 quickly and then try to get as much milk as possible, and then let the calf have 

 a chance, continuing the change with the calf until the milking is finished? I 

 have; and such a cow is only worth half of her value as a dairy cow. 



The calf should be taken from, the cow the second day, and taught to drink. 

 Never let it go back to the cow. The value of the calf does not warrant the 

 use of the whole milk. Butter fat is too valuable to feed to scrub calves. The 

 calf should be fed whole milk for ten days or two weeks and then gradually have 

 some skim-milk added, at the same time having some fat substituted in the form 

 of grain to take the place of the butter fat. Flax-seed meal makes a good calf- 

 feed. As soon as the calf will eat it, hay or other roughage should be given. 



Now how shall we handle the milk? If you want the milk to remain sweet a 

 long time you must take great pains to see that everything that comes in contact 

 with the milk is kept scrupulously clean, and if a damp cloth is used to wipe the 

 udder just before milking it will be found very effective in reducing filth (so-called 

 "cowy odor") that so easily gains an entrance to the milk at this time. The 

 milk must be cooled at once. Next in importance to preventing contamination of 

 milk is controlling its souring by regulating its temperature. By quickly cooling 

 milk after it is dra^vIl its keeping qualities can be prolonged for several hours. 



If butter Is to be made, do not chum whole milk. I know this is often done, 

 and many who are present wall not agree with me when I say that churning milk 

 not only means many hours of useless labor in churning, but good butiter is 

 seldom made, and there is too much butter left in the buttermilk. Tlie shallow 

 pan, with all of its faults, is much to be preferred for separating cream than 

 churning milk. The only excuse for churning whole milk is when you prefer 

 making buttermilk to butter. I said that you could not make as good butter, and 

 I will tell you the reason. In order to chvirn whole milk it is necessary to chum 

 at a high temperature, and when you use a high churning temperature you ruin 

 the grain of the butter and there is too much casein (cheese miaterial) incor- 

 porated with the fat. Such butter will not keep well. This butter when placed 

 on the table in summer-time flattens out and quickly takes the shape of the plate. 

 You all know the kind I mean — the butter you have to handle with a spoon. 



Use some system of raising cream. The least desirable is to strain the milk 

 into pans about 3 or 4 inches deep and allow it to stand for 36 hours. There are a 

 number of reasons why this is not a good way to separate cream. It loses too 

 much fat. The cream and skimmed milk is sour, and the pans are not usually 

 set in a suitable place. A home-made device can be made that will be useful in 

 this work. Put shelves in a large box or cupboard, and make a frame door over 

 which tack cheese-cloth, and set in a cool place. This will permit the air to 

 circulate, but prevent dust and flies from fallin? into the milk. If earthen crocks 

 are used, and cool water is at hand, then the depth of the milk can be increased 

 and better results obtained. 



