DAIRY FARMERS AND CLEANLINESS.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 50, 2 October 1924, Page 3

DAIRY FARMERS AND CLEANLINESS.

(To the Editor). Sir, —The dairy farmers are going through a stage, striving to raise the present grade of dairy produce; and are like so many school children, being taught by dairy inspectors, experts, factory managers, etc., as to the best means of gaining that object; and are at all times willing to cooperate with those officials when asked. When machine-milking came to help the dairy farmer, being new, it was only natural that there was much to find out as to the best means of securing cleanliness, etc. Brushes were advocated, and a dozen and one different sorts were put on the market by different makers, and have been used with more or less success up till the present jiay. Two years ago some ingenious person invented scrapers for getting into the corners of rubbers, etc., and it was not an uncommon occurrence to have an inspector walk into the cowshed with one of these so-called scrapers in his hand. The farmer has no need to ask the gentleman who he was nor as to his calling, for he immediately proceeded to take down rubbers, etc., to show the value of this new invention, and finished up by stating that it -was most necessary one should be procured and used every day, that one should be in every shed, etc., etc. The average farmer, always willing to cooperate and pull with the inspector, added one to his already large collection of brushes, etc. Now, Sir, we are told, after extensive experiments have been carried out, that brushes and scrapers are useless, and to discard them and use only boiling water, with the addition of caustic soda. If it has taken all these years to find out, after putting the farmers to a lot of unnecessary expense—to say nothing of the loss of time he has been put to in brushing and scraping—that brushes and scrapers are useless and of no value, how long will it take the heads to find out that in more than half the sheds in the Waikato there is no boiling water in any quantity at any time ? In these sheds exist hot water systems recommended by the dairy officials (I refer to two types of califonts), but from which it is an impossibility to draw off a bucket of boiling water. One can get water in plenty up to, say, 170 degrees, but that is not boiling. Now, Sir, as hot water is useless for milking machines, and as it is the two extremes that kill the bacteria, first the cold water, then the boiling (not hot), then cold again, no bacteria can survive those extremes; and it is the bacteria that we must destroy. Now let us go hack a little before going forward, and revert to the old copper fitted up in the shed, where with less firing and trouble you have ample boiling water when the milking is finished. The farmer nowadays, as they all well know, has to help himself and earn all he gets, and here again he can help himself. Let us not wait for the dairy experts to lead us, but put the water heater, along with the brushes and scrapers, on the scrapheap, and up will go the grade of our dairy produce. The water-heater has been the cause of more low-grade cream and milk—if it were possible to find out—than all the turnip flavour. For instance, turnips are seasonable, and only last for a short period cf the year; but milk-tubing, etc., in which bacteria exist, is permanent, unless got rid of with boiling water. There are many farmers who have gone back to the old copper long ago, realising the value of boiling water, and there are many more who never used brushes and scrapers, but kept a full range in a prominent place, if only for exhibition. While recognising the good work that the dairy officials have alread done, especially in the Waikato, there still remains much to be done, and one o'£ their first duties is to get busy and see that there is a plentiful supply of boiling water in every shed, and condemn that now which they once recommended namely, the water heater.—l am, etc., ALBERT H. SMITH. “ Fairlea,” Putaruru.