174 



TEE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



If the wood is once allowed to become 

 greasy in this manner it is almost im- 

 possible to again get it back into good 

 working order. The frequent use of 

 lime-water cannot be too strongly recom- 

 mended for all milk and butter appli- 

 ances, churns in particular. Many in- 

 stances are known where contaminated 

 vessels have caused hundreds of pounds 

 worth of loss to the producers, therefore, 

 proper attention should be bestowed on 

 cleanliness to insure best results. 



Purifying Water. 



In the northern districts of the Col- 

 ony it is the exception, rather than the 

 rule, to have a supply of clean pure 

 water suitable for washing butter. Mr. 

 Pearson, Government Agricultural 

 Chemist, explained a simple process of 

 treatment for muddy or discoloured 

 water, at the Conference of the Austra- 

 lasian Butter and Cheese Factories 

 Managers' Association, May, 1897. Two 

 tanks are used, one above the other. The 

 upper one is used for the clarification of 

 the water, and the lower one is for the 

 reception of the clarified water. The 

 top tank is fitted with a tap at the lowest 

 point of the bottom. Let us suppose 

 that 500 gallons of clear water are re- 

 quired for use each day ; then it will be 

 necessary to have those two tanks of 

 500 gallons capacity each. Two vessels 

 of any convenient size arc necessary to 

 contain a supply of soda and alum solu- 

 tions ; also a watering can for measur- 

 ing the liquid. Fifty gallons is a handy 

 size for the former vessels. The alum 

 solution is of sucb a strength that one 

 measureful of it will convey to the 500- 

 gallon tank 12 grains of alum per gallon, 

 or G,000 grains altogether. As there sre 

 7,000 grains to the 1 lb. avoirdupois, 

 that would be six-sevenths of a pound. 

 If the measuring-can holds 1 gallon, then 

 the amount of alum to be put into the 

 50-gallon vessel wouhl l)e 43 lbs. That 

 would be sufficient to last for 50 days. 

 The amount of soda should be about 9 

 grains per gallon : that is to say, the 

 strength of the soda solution should be 

 three-quarters that of the alum solution. 



Thus, if 43 lbs. of alum were put mio 50 

 gallons, about 33 lbs. of soda should be 

 dissolved in the other SO-gallon vessel, 

 'ihe process is simple. Fill the top tank 

 with water m the afternoon. The 

 measureful of alum solution is then 

 evenly distributed over the surface of the 

 water by means of the rose of the water- 

 ing-can. The alum solution is then stir- 

 red into the water with a sliner, this 

 being done gently and carefully, so as 

 not to get any air bubbles into the water. 

 About ten minutes afterwards the meas- 

 urement of soda solution is distributed 

 through the water in the same way, stirr- 

 ung carefully as before. In the morn- 

 ing it will be found that the alumina has 

 > been entirely precipitated, and has settled 

 on the bottom of the tank, carrying with 

 11 the solid impurities, including bacteria, 

 iiom the water, and leaving the water in 

 the tank absolutely clear and limpid. A 

 hiphon should then be carefully intro- 

 duced, so as not to stir up the mud at the 

 Ijottom, and the clear water should be 

 lunoved into the lower tank, where, if 

 .t(iuired, it could be cooled for use when 

 iKcessary. 



Under the orifice of the siphon is a tin 

 p'ate attached to the siphon pipe about 

 loin, or 12in. in diameter, which prevents' 

 the water from taking up with it as it 

 passes into the siphon any sediment from 

 the bottom of the tank. 



When empty the top tank is sluiced- 

 out through the tap, and the whole opera- 

 tion is gone through as before. 



Mr. Pearson states that this is an old- 

 fashioned process, but recent investiga- 

 tions have shown that it is as efficient 

 as any known process of purifying water. 

 Alum used to the extent of from 12 to 

 20 grains per gallon has been found to 

 result in complete sterilization of water. 

 — that is to say, in the perfect removal 

 of bacteria. Some who have seen this 

 process at work have greatly admired 

 the appearance of the water, but have ex- 

 piessed a fear that by using alum they 

 \\()iild be introducing an injurious sub- 

 stiince into the butter, in the manufac- 

 tui'e of which the water was used. This 

 fear is gronndless, because, as already ex- 



