1911, 
A “DEMONSTRATION” FARMERS’ MILK 
STATION. 
Better Prices for Better Milk. 
Pakt II. 
The first stumbling block that the farmer will find 
in this proposition is the tuberculin test. At the 
outset it has scarehead features. In the test that was 
made of the cows that were to be used for the pro¬ 
duction of milk for this creamery, the best figures 
that I could get indicate that about 10 per cent of 
the tested cows responded to the test and were con¬ 
demned by the State. Some of the herds escaped en¬ 
tirely, while one herd lost about one-third of its 
number. In no case do I think there were specially 
suspicious cows in the herds. I talked with the 
farmer who lost most heavily. He had no fault to 
find. I asked him if he purchased his cows, and if 
the man who did not lose any raised his. He replied 
that he and the farmer mentioned went out together 
and bought some cows, dividing their purchases after 
bringing them in. They bought five at one farm, he 
taking three and his neighbor two of those purchased 
there. Of his three, two proved tuberculous by the 
test, while his neighbors two cows passed clean. He 
added: “I think it is just luck.” Inquiring how he 
came out in the settlement with the 
State, he said that his reactors hadn’t 
been appraised yet, but that another of 
his neighbors had five reactors, and the 
State appraiser allowed him to make 
his own appraisal. That is, the ap¬ 
praiser asked him to state what he 
thought each animal was worth. When 
he had done this the State man said, 
“The prices are satisfactory to me.” 
Then he added: “I never have any 
trouble with a farmer who is disposed 
to do the right thing.” Of course the 
loss of the cows is considerable to any 
farmer. He doesn’t get their appraised 
value unless there has been an error in 
the test. This farmer, who lost most 
heavily, said he was satisfied thus far, 
and that if he had any tuberculous cows 
in his herd he wanted to know it, and 
to get them out as soon as possible. 
There are other items relative to this 
“demonstration” project that I am 
rather glad to record. The work is in 
the experimental stage. It is not known 
yet what prices should be made to the 
farmer, nor what can be or should be 
charged the consumer. The “bonus” 
system that I have described may be 
more liberal than can be afforded, and 
more so than is necessary to make the 
proposition attractive to farmers. It is 
more liberal than any of the regularly 
established concerns have seen fit to 
adopt in any of their attempts to stimu¬ 
late improvement in stable conditions 
and improved care of stock and of milk. 
That proves nothing, however, for some 
of these concerns have undertaken l.o 
get an extra cent a quart out of such 
milk when delivered to the customer, 
and to pay the producer one-half of a 
cent for furnishing the goods. On the 
other hand, the sales end of this business 
seems at this distance to be fraught with 
certain difficulties. I have not had 
the opportunity to make any investi¬ 
gation into the city conditions, and 
do not feel certain that there will be at once or even 
later a quick market for milk that has cost in its pro¬ 
duction even one cent a quart additional, unless it is 
found that the handling can be done at less than the 
old established companies have been inclined to have 
the public understand, thus making sales possible. It 
is to be assumed that this Demonstration Company 
proposes to answer this question also. It has always 
been my opinion that the companies might pay the 
farmers more and charge their customers less and 
make good money, especially if a high class of milk 
is handled. Let us hope that the truth or error of 
this question may be demonstrated. 
The methods of receiving milk at the demonstra¬ 
tion creamery are not so different from those em¬ 
ployed at other creameries of the better sort. The 
volume of business is not so large as at some cream¬ 
eries, but I am not sure that any more pains are 
taken here than I have seen at certain places doing a 
much larger business. The milk is carefully and 
cleanly handled, and that is all one needs to concern 
himself about anywhere. Moreover, the cans are 
thoroughly washed and scalded. This is done at many 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
other places, but I am sorry to say there are places 
where it is not done properly. Here the cans belong 
to the creamery, and I believe they should. There are 
some surplus cans, thus enabling the farmer to take 
on perfectly clean cans without having to wait for 
them to be washed. This also gives the men time to 
wash and scrub the cans without undue haste, and to 
put them in first-class shape before sending them out. 
Much of the work of cleaning is performed by hand, 
and there is little chance for carelessness. The milk¬ 
ing pails are also owned by the creamery company, 
and these are brought in and are washed by the work¬ 
men the same as the cans. Clean cans and clean pails 
count a long way toward clean milk. The milk comes 
in without being strained, as it is better to keep dirt 
out of milk than to strain it out. In only one in¬ 
stance did I notice any bad condition of the milk, 
and that milk was not allowed to go in with the rest, 
nor did it receive the “bonus” that the other milk re¬ 
ceived. As the milk is delivered it is sampled with 
much care. One can of night’s milk and one of 
morning’s is used for samples for a bacterial test. 
Absolutely sterile bottles are used, also a sterilized 
dipper for the samples for tlrs test. As soon as the 
sample is taken, the bottle is capped and is placed in 
a compartment within a covered box containing ice 
water. The cold checks development of bacteria, 
but the test is made as soon as sufficient samples have 
been collected. After the milk has been plated, that 
is, diluted with 100 times the minute quantity of 
milk that is taken, the dilution being of distilled 
water, and the mixture distributed over the prepared 
plates, it is place in an incubator and kept at a 
uniform temperature of blood heat for two days. 
Upon these plates had previously been distributed a 
“culture medium,” hi which the bacteria are supposed 
to thrive at their best. The plates are covered and 
each bacterium multiplies itself until a colony of 
bacteria appears around the spot where the single 
bacterium lodged. The colony soon becomes large 
enough to be seen with the naked eye, and then 
these colonies are counted. A mathematical calcula¬ 
tion, dependent upon the quantity of milk taken, its 
dilution, etc., quickly gives the number of bacteria 
that were present in the milk per cubic centimeter at 
the time of its delivery. A cubic centimeter is about 
a thimbleful, and if this quantity of milk does not 
contain more than 10,000 bacteria the milk is re¬ 
sis 
garded as exceptionally good. Should there appear 
an excessive number of bacteria, the manager would 
immediately drive out to the farm and see if he 
could determine the cause of the trouble. At the 
It may be asked, who is to do this intricate test¬ 
ing for bacteria? At the demonstration creamery a 
trained bacterologist is in charge, and he does the 
work. Were it to be done at the usual creamery, I 
am of the opinion that some bright young fellow 
among the employees could be trained in two days’ 
time to do this work with sufficient accuracy. It is 
a job that is more blind to the average man than the 
Babcock test, and in the hands of a “shady” sort of a 
man might be used to cover up favoritism or irregu¬ 
larities, favoring the creamery to a greater extent, 
possibly, than could be done with the Babcock test. 
There are several features in this enterprise that 
many dairymen might question. The principle seems 
right and the plan will succeed under certain modi¬ 
fications in many country localities. Unless it were 
operated with too large an idea to personal profits 
by the creamery company, it ought certainly to suc¬ 
ceed. Just how successful will be the city end of the 
business I do not know. Were a cooperate associa¬ 
tion to announce their willingness to furnish the 
goods, I do not know where they would 
look for their market. At any rate, I 
would prefer to be responsible for the 
production than for the sale. The for¬ 
mer is at once possible. Who will tell 
us that the latter is also? That part 
out to be possible, but more light is 
needed on that point. H. H. lyon. 
New York. 
ALFALFA IN CENTRAL MAINE. 
Dean Merrill, of the Agricultural 
College at Orono, estimates that at 
least 250 farmers will sow Alfalfa in 
Maine this year. Most of the plots are 
experimental, but here and there is a 
farmer who feels sure enough of his 
ground to put in one or two acres. In 
Somerset County, especially, the num¬ 
ber of plantings will be large. H. H. 
Fuller, of Palmyra, was the first man in 
the latter section to secure a fairly 
good stand. Four years ago he put 
several bushels of wood ashes on a 
small plot of old ground, and after 
working it thoroughly, sowed the Al¬ 
falfa seed about the first of June. The 
seed was treated with nitro-culture, and 
while considerable grass and clover is 
mixed in with the Alfalfa, he has cut 
three good crops every year since. 
Three years ago he put in a second 
plot beside the first, making about an 
eighth of an acre in all, and except for 
some inoculated soil from the first plot, 
gave it no special preparation beyond 
good tillage. Here, too, the stand is 
somewhat mixed, but very vigorous 
withal. The accompanying picture, 
Fig. 311, was taken in the three-year- 
old plot, June 22. 
The soil at Mr. Fuller’s farm is a 
gravelly loam, with ledge in many places 
but three or four feet below the surface. 
Mr. Fuller says that the rock under¬ 
lies both patches of the Alfalfa, and for 
313. that reason he has been waiting each 
year for the stuff to die out. 
The most promising experiments are the series in 
progress under the direction of the local cooperative 
creamery. Last January the directors voted an ap¬ 
propriation for the purchase of several tons of agricul¬ 
tural lime, and this was given in 500 pound lots to 
those patrons who would agree to sow a quarter of 
an acre to Alfalfa, in accordance with certain definite 
instructions. The Bureau of Plant Industry, Wash¬ 
ington, furnished the necessary seed, and the cream¬ 
ery manager together with the writer visited each arid 
every one of the 20 farms to make sure that the 
character of the soil warranted the attempt. Each 
patron selected a plot of well-drained ground, and 
with one exception all were cropped last year. The 
odd lot was plowed last August. The instructions 
were to apply stable manure as early as possible, har¬ 
row at intervals until July 15, and then sow the in¬ 
oculated Alfalfa seed broadcast and harrow in. The 
lime was to be applied the last of June in connection 
with one of the periodical harrowings. I have visited 
several of the experimenters for a second or third 
time, and in every case the way they have cooperated 
with the creamery is most gratifying. Locally we 
have a good outlet through the creamery for the 
dairy products. Christopher m. gallup. 
A RELIC OF OLD PENNSYLVANIA DAYS. Fig. 312 
POTATOES BETWEEN RASPBERRIES IN MISSOURI. 
