10 Aug., 1918.] Treatment of Cream. 501 



causes ropy milk and cream. Such places should be fenced off, so as to 

 prevent the access of dairy cows. 



A cowshed should have fairly high walls — at least S feet — -and it 

 should be seen to that there is plenty of light and ventilation. The 

 floor should be impervious to moisture, and have a fall 

 from the front to the back of the cow, and a brick or concrete drain. 

 The skins of sheep, rabbits, foxes, or any other animals, should not be 

 taken into a cowshed to dry. They attract flies and exude a most 

 offensive odour, which quickly taints milk and cream. 



The dairy should not be used as a storeroom — it should contain 

 nothing but the separator and cream. The building should be of a 

 fair height, large enough for the convenient handling of the milk, and 

 plenty of light and ventilation is, of course, essential. 



Fodder for cows should be of the best quality. Too often is it 

 said, "This chaff is not good enough for the horses; give it to the 

 cows." The quality of the cream depends on the quality of the feed 

 given to the cows. Keeping cream too long is one of the many over- 

 sights found on small holdings where from one to three cows are 

 milked. A can is placed under the separator on Monday morning, 

 and it remains there perhaps until Friday or until it is full. The 

 cream from each separating goes into the one can — the hot cream 

 twice a day running in on top of the cold cream, and sometimes it is 

 the practice not to wash the separator at night. When a can of such 

 sort of cream is delivered at the factory it is fennenting, and " boiling " 

 over the top of the can, and then is heard the cry, " I got only second 

 quality to-day." 



The separator should be washed as soon after use as possible, and 

 the various parts scalded by being put into a trough or tub and a can 

 of boiling water poured over them. They should then be placed in the 

 sun to dry. 



A separate vessel should be used to catch the yield of each separation 

 and the morning's cream should not be added to the general can until 

 evening and the evening's cream until the following morning. I have 

 for years noted that when this method of handling cream is followed 

 there is usually no complaint about second quality. The stirring of 

 the cream twice a day at least is a good preventive against the growth 

 of bacteria, and makes the cream of a more uniform quality. 



Recently I made inquiries regarding the quality of butter produced 

 on a farm where only a few cows were milked, and where the pre- 

 cautions suggested above were observed, and the cream churned twice 

 a week. I was told that the butter was considered the best made in 

 the district, and was much sought after by the residents. This proves 

 the advisability of making butter while the cream is reasonably fresh, 

 or if the cream be sold to a factory, the desirableness of sending it 

 as frequently as possible. 



The pasturing of dairy cows on rape or any rank greenstuff immedi- 

 ately prior to milking also has a marked detrimental effect on the 

 quality of cream. While the food is undergoing the process of digestion 

 some of its gases pass into the blood, and as the milk is secreted from 

 the blood, some of them are given off with the milk. If the cows are 

 pastured on the fodder immediately after milking and taken off 



