Farming.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 142, 12 November 1895, Page 3

Farming.

AERATION. We extract the following from the dairying leaflet issited by the Department of Agiiculture : Too often is the proper care of the milk neglected. All milk—night ahd morning—should be aired as soon as possible after being drawn from the cow by exposing it in a thin spray to a pure atmosphere, by pouring, dipping, or by running through perforated surfaces. “ That neglect implies three things that are very injurious to its quality: (1) The peculiar odour which the cow imparts to the milk will be left in it until it becomes fixed in its flavor; (2) the germs of fermentation that come in the milk and from the air have the best conditions for growth and action when the milk is left undisturbed; (3) the milk will become in a degree unfit for perfect coagulation by rennet. Hence it is needful and advantageous to aerate it, for three reasons: — “First, because by pouring, dipping, stirring, or by trickling it over an exposed surface, there is eliminated from the milk by evaporation any objectionable volatile element that may be in it. “ Secondly, because, as has already been stated, the milk contains germs of fermentation. A strange peculiarity about some of these microbes is that they become active only in the absence of free oxygen. When warm new milk if left undisturbed, carbonic-acid gas is generated, and that furnishes the best condition for the commencement of action by these almost invisible creatures. After they get started they keep up their decomposing work, even in the presence of oxygen. It is impractible to perfectly coagulate such milk so as to yield a fine quality of keeping-cheese. Coagulation by the use of rennet of milk that is ripe can never be perfect unless it is thoroughly aerated immediately after it is taken from the cow. Neglect of aeration will increase the quantity of milk required to make a pound of fine cheese. “ Thirdly, because the airing seems to give vigor to the germs of fermentation that will bring about an acid condition of the milk without producing the acid. So much is this so, that it has been found impracticable to make strickly first-class Cheddar cheese from milk that has not been aerated.’’ For cheese-making the cooling of the milk by use of water after aeration is only recommended when the nights are very warm, as an additional precaution against development of lactic acid, but on ordinary cool nights, when the temperature is not above 70 or 75 degrees Fahr., thorough aeration is sufficient. • For butter-making in the summer months the additional advantages of reducing the temperature by the use of water after airing is that the milk is delivered in a sweeter condition at the creamery, facilitating the handling of the cream to better advantage, and allowing of the skim-milk being returned in a sweeter condition for feeding purposes. It is advisable to divide the milk into small lots over-night. The milk should be stirred once or twice after aeration especially the last thing at night, as it is an additional preventive against the separation of the cream from the milk. When this is attended to it is unusual to see clots of cream on the milk when delivered.