322 THE HANDBOOK FOR PRACTICAL FARMERS 



these cans, and it is also advisable to cool off the inside of these 

 cans before filling them with milk. 



Bottled milk or cream may be kept cold during delivery by 

 placing bottles in crates packed with ice. These crates are par- 

 titioned off, leaving a space for each bottle, and are usually lined 

 with zinc. 



Formerly, when nearly all cream was shipped to creameries 

 in a sour condition, icing or cooling was not considered neces- 

 sary. Many creameries, however, are now demanding a better 

 grade of cream and, in some cases, sweet cream, and paying a 

 higher price for it. This means that cream must be shipped 

 oftener and kept cold. The same precautions recommended in 

 cooling and handling milk will be found equally advisable in 

 handling cream. When warm cream is added to cream from a 

 previous milking, which has been cooled, it tends to increase the 

 temperature of the whole mass and hasten souring. See that 

 all cream is cold before it is mixed. Cream does not sour as 

 quickly as milk, and thick cream does not sour as quickly as thin 

 cream ; therefore, milk should be separated to produce thirty or 

 thirt3"-five per cent cream. Such cream sours slowly, is less 

 bulky to handle, and leaves more skim milk on the farm. 



Ice supply.— It rarely happens that water from wells or 

 springs is cold enough in the summer time to cool milk to fifty 

 degrees F. It is advisable, therefore, to provide a supply of ice 

 for use during the summer. In general, from one-half to one 

 ton of ice is required per cow to cool cream only, and one and 

 one-half to two tons per cow if whole milk is to be cooled. In 

 storing ice, fifty per cent more should be packed than is needed, 

 to allow for shrinkage. One ton of ice will take up about forty 

 cubic feet of space in the ice house. 



Sterilize all containers and utensils. — Milk cans, milk bottles 

 and utensils often appear clean after washing, but in reality 

 contain thousands of bacteria. These containers should be both 

 washed and sterilized. 



Many progressive creameries wash and sterilize cans before 

 they are returned to the producer, but this can not be depended 

 upon and the dair^^man should make certain by sterilizing them 

 along with the other utensils. 



Washing the cans. — Milk cans and utensils should be washed 

 with warm water and sal soda or other Avashing powder, using a 

 stiff brush. Wash until the greasy film has been cleaned off, 

 then rinse with hot water. 



Sterilizing" with steam. — Where steam under pressure is 



