GRADING OF CREAM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4480, 16 October 1922, Page 3

GRADING OF CREAM.

(W Dempster, Dairy Instructor, Hamilton, in the Journal of Agriculture.)

The methods of handling cream at the dairy factories in New Zealand compare more than favourably with those of other dairying countries, but pur weakness lies in the handling of

-milk and cream on the farm. It may ' be said that there ar.e only about 10 per cent, of the dairy farmers really doing their best, while at the other extreme of the scale are another 10 per cent, who should really not be milking cows at all. The cream graders’ greatest trouble is with the 80 per cent, of farmers who deliver only a medium cream. It is sometimes very difficult for a grader to convince a supplier that his Cream is second grade, as perhaps he is doing all he can, and very often going to more trouble than is necessary to ensure first-grade. If, however, the lay-out of his shed is bad it may be difficult to get first-grade. Cream when leaving the separator is just about at the best temperature to take 'a taint, and if the atmosphere be impure the cream is certain to pick up whatever smell there is. Tne cream will smell just as does the separator room or place where cream is kept. It does very little good to shift cream 1 after separating in an impuie atmosphere, but it is not so bad as leaving the cream there. One frequently hears complaints from farmers because their- cream was graded second when not spur, sour cream being in their opinion the worst of -all. It is natural for cream to'go sour; when cream will not go sour it is a sure sign of inferiority. I have known farmers to prefer rancid to sour cream. It is difficult to get two cans of cream exactly alike in flavour. So well versed do most graders become that they .can remember the flavours of each individual farmer's cream as easily as they remember the cans. The flavour is just as distinctly impressed on the grader's mind as if he had seen it. The following points are essential in practice if the farmer is to continue the good work which the cow begins. If he is neglecting any of these essentials he cannot be said to be doing his best, and has no cause for complaint if his cream is graded other than superfine. - (1.) Every par,t of the milking machine, vacuum pipes and tank, separator, etc-, must be keptdeap., ; (2.) The releaser bucket and separator must not be in the engine-room-A passage between the separator room and the engine-room is necessary. (3.) Milk should be separated anil the cream kept in a well-ve'ntil.ated room, and the cream stirred often with a metal plunger. . (4.) The cream should be cooled with a .water cooler. Putting the cream in a tub of water is PQt suffi-

cient. <5.) The. environment of the separator room and place where the cream is kept should not be muddy. (-6.) A plentiful supply bf boiling water is necessary. ("Hot” should not be mistaken for “boiling.”) ■ If these six essentials are observed secondwgrade cream will be only an accident. There are many backblocks settlers carrying out these essentials with good results, while other farmers in the backblocks are complaining about their inability to produce a first-quality cream, giving as reasons the difficulties which have been overcome by others. The following are a few causes of sedond-grgde cream. All but the last •cause contamination flavours, ahd are in the hands of the farmers to remefly (1) Badly arranged shed; (2) neglecting to cool cream ; (3) mixing warm and cold cream together; (4) having the engine and separator ; n the same room’; (5) failure to clean the vacuum-pipes and vacuum tank, and to leaving the vacuum-tank open; (6) dirty rubbers and milk pipes : (7) puttings rubbers in stagnant water ; (8) lack of ventilation in Sep-arator-room ; (9) muddy surroundings near separator-room; (10) not removing lids after washing cans; (11) use of rusty cans apd tinware ; (12) using separator-room as storeroom; (13) use of carbolic disinfectants; (14) skimming’ too thin; (15) neglecting to scald tinware ; (16) sour skim-milk barrels; (17) wishing the separator only once daily; (18) keeping cream too long on farm; (19) standing cans iii the sun awaiting conveyance; (20>) using cloths for straining and also for washing, instead of a brush ; (21) feed flavours.