12 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



STRAINING. 



The milk should be removed from the stable to a clean, airy place, such as 

 a dairy-house which is free from dust, flies, and bad odours, as soon as possible 

 after it is drawn, and strained at once. 



A good milk-strainer (Fig. 3) should be simple in its construction; all parts of 

 it should be easily accessible for thorough cleaning, its meshes should be fine enough 



to remove all the solid foreign 

 matter, and at the same time to 

 allow the milk to pass through 

 reasonably fast. All things con- 

 sidered, a strainer consisting of 

 a fine wire gauze and four lay- 

 ers of cheese-cloth is most prac- 

 tical and efficient. 



The cause of many of the 

 most costly disturbances in 

 dairying, such -as rapid souring, 

 bad odours, and all sorts of ab- 

 normal fermentations, has been 

 Fig. 3. Milk-strainer, showing centre removed. 



traced to the filthy condition of 



the milk-strainer. The strainer immediately after use should be thoroughly rinsed 

 in cold or lukewarm water ; then washed in hot water to which a small quantity of 

 some good washing-powder has been added; then rinsed in boilng water, sterilized 

 by exposure to live steam, or by boiling in clean water and dried in the sunlight, or 

 in a dust-free, clean room. 



THE DAIRY-HOUSE. 



This building should be convenient to but entirely separate from the barn where 

 the milking is done. It should be just large enough for actual needs, so that it 

 cannot be used as a general store-room. A cement floor is to be recommended 

 wherever possible, and should be constructed with a slope towards a gutter com 

 municating with a drain situated on the outside of the building, so that the waste 

 water can be carried off for a considerable distance. The walls and ceiling should 

 be smooth, so that they can be quickly and thoroughly cleaned. There should be 

 plenty of light and ventilation. The windows and doors should be screened summer 

 and winter. There should be convenient arrangements for washing, scalding, and 

 drying dairy utensils, and an abundant supply of pure water for cooling the milk 

 or cream. 



In case a special dairy-house cannot be provided, the milk or cream should be 

 handled and stored in a clean, light, and well-ventilated place, free from strong 

 odours of any kind. A cellar is usually a very poor place for this purpose, especially 

 if also used for storing vegetables. 



SKIMMING THE MILK. 



When good, clean milk has been secured, the next operation is to separate 

 the cream from the milk. This may be accomplished by either of three methods 

 now commonly in use viz., shallow pans, deep setting, and the cream-separator. 



THE SHALLOW PAN. 



The best results from using shallow pans are to be obtained by setting the milk 

 immediately after milking, placing the pans in a clean, welj-ventilated room, where 

 the temperature ranges from 50 to GO Fahr. Skimming should take place about 

 twenty-four to forty-eight hours from the time of setting, and can best be accom- 



