300 



Journal of .\gri culture. Victoria. 



[lo May, 1911. 



Adulteration and the Cream Supply. 



Adulteration of milk is most generally effected by the addition of 

 water or skimmed milk. The adding of water reduces the proportionate 

 amount of the whole of the milk solids in a given sample, whilst skim 

 milk reduces its quality in butter-fat only. In either case, the cus- 

 tomer buying the mixture is defrauded. 



Many people seem to think that their dairyman sliould be able to 

 supply cream as well as milk at any season of the year at a few hours' 

 notice. To do this honestly, would necessitate the dairyman having a 

 quantity of surplus milk above that required for ordinarv distribution ; 

 but, excepting in the spring, such a surplus is almost impossible to obtain. 

 Dairymen frequently complain of the unreasonable attitude of some cus- 

 tomers who threaten to buy their milk elsewhere if cream is not also 



LINCOLNSHIRE DAIRY (w . MERRIMAN, MALVERN). 



supplied on casual order. It may happen that cream cannot be pur- 

 chased anywhere at the short notice given, so the milkman must then take 

 the chance of losing a customer through not supplying it. The onlv 

 other course open to him in such a dilemma would be tn skim a portion 

 of the cream from the bulk milk he had on hand for retailing. If he 

 did this, he could not supply his regular customers from the milk he had 

 left, so he would be compelled to mix the skimmed with the unskimmed 

 milk, and distribute it as pure milk. This would leave him, if detected, 

 open to prosecution — a risk few dairymen care to take in order to supply 

 an unreasonable customer. 



Where the demand is a regular one, cream is purchased from farmers 

 who separate their milk. There is an increasing inquiry at present for 

 scalded cream in the city and suburbs ; and some farmers have under 

 consideration the catering for this as a special trade, which will be some- 

 thing of a boon to dairymen who have casual customers for such produce. 



