90 



THE AGRICULT 



URAL JOURNAL. 



Milk that is quite nauseous to the taste, 

 and gives off a strong undesirable odour 

 from the above causes, can be made quite 

 agreeable and palatable by aerating. The 

 fact that the odour rises from the milk is 

 proof that the element causing it is 

 volatile. If pure air is passed through the 

 milk, or if milk is spread out thinly and 

 exposed to such air, the undesirable 

 element evaporates and is carried away. 

 A simple experiment may be more con- 

 vincing than any lengthy explanation. 

 When the milk is affected take a cupful 

 and pour it a few times from one cup into 

 another. In doing so let the milk fall 

 some distance through the air. After this 

 is done a great improvement will be 

 noticed. The same thing may be done by 

 means of dippers or buckets ; but when 

 large quantities are handled special ap- 

 pliances have been designed — and are in 

 the market— for effecting the object. The 

 process is greatly assisted if carried out 

 when the milk is at a high temperature 

 immediately after coming from the cow. 



Recent experiments have been made to 

 find out if it were possible to eliminate 

 this injurious element at the creamery in- 

 stead of the farm. Considerable success 

 was met with, and the matter is dealt 

 with elsewhere under the head of 

 " Pasteurizing." 



Farmers reason in the following man- 

 ner : — " My milk is considered good 

 enough to be taken at the creamery with- 

 out my going to any bother with it, and 

 anything that is considered good enough 

 to receive there is quite good enough to 

 send." 



Again :— " If I put my milk in (he best 

 condition, and make it most suitable for 

 manufacturing a tip-top quality of butter, 

 and my neighbour does not, ray good 

 work is negatived by his carelessness as 

 soon as our milk is mixed at the creamery. 

 He gets as much for his product as I do 

 who supply a superior article." 



This contention applies i^o all milk in- 

 ferior in condition, as well as from the 

 neglect of proper aeration when neces- 

 sary. This is really the weakest point in 

 our otherwise excellent co-operative sys- 

 tem of dairying. 



It has often been suggested that the 

 remedy rests with the companies ; that 

 they should extend the system of payment 

 by results, and pay for the milk according 



to the condition as well as according to 

 the butter contained. 



Many difficulties present themselves in 

 the carrying out of such a proposal. The 

 chief obstacle is the want of a definite 

 measure of the suitability of milk for 

 butter-making at the time of its delivery 

 at the factory'^ The determinaion of re- 

 spective values would have to be placed 

 entirely in the hands of the manager, and 

 applied at his discretion. 



As his employers are generally suppliers 

 and are often offenders, undesirable fric- 

 tion would sometimes be caused if the 

 manager did his duty. Of course the 

 same argument was put forward when 

 the system of payment according to butter 

 contents was initiated, but the cases differ 

 considerably. In the one instance there 

 is great definiteness in the result, which 

 can be checked if a doubt arises. In the 

 other no such precision exists. It was at 

 one time suggested as practicable, in cases 

 of dispute, to have the question settled by 

 a board of reference from the suppliers 

 present at the moment. Such a course 

 would in many cases— if not all — take the 

 responsllMlity off the manager's shoulders, 

 l)ut could not give ultimate satisfaction. 

 The sole power of exercising judgment 

 should be vested in the manager's hands. 



Authority is given at present in nearly 

 all places for the manager to refuse to take 

 delivery of milk unfit for the making of 

 good butter, but the line in 90 per cent, 

 of our factories is drawn too low. 



If milk will pass through the separator 

 it is generally considered good enough to 

 take, and sourness, or the degree of sour- 

 ness, is the only point taken into account 

 in some places in determining the suit- 

 ability of the milk. 



Very often milk which is too sour for 

 separating is better suited for making a 

 good butter than another class of milk 

 which has been tainted through having 

 been kept in unclean surroundings, or in 

 dirty vessels. This is the class of milk 

 that causes most damage in the factory. 

 It often arrives sweet to the taste, but 

 having a bad odoui'. 



Such milk is responsible tor far more 

 trouble and deterioration in the finished 

 product than milk that has naturally 

 soured through being kept at too high a 

 temperature. It is that class of milk that 

 presents the greatest difficulties in deter- 

 mining its value. 



