The farmer. Educational Tour of a Model Dairy in Scotland.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 2012, 30 May 1885, Page 6 (Supplement)

The farmer. Educational Tour of a Model Dairy in Scotland.

In IBIU, tba luv\ Agrioultmal Society, vowing with ooncera tho depression and visiblr diminution of the butter trade in Ireland, decided, at the suggestion of Cinon Bigot, to charter a " Travelling Educational Dairy " to visit the principal buttar-pro-iuciog districts The suoceas oi thn initial eff >rt ia wall known, and that it aroused disciuaioa and imparted practical instruction id gcneraliy aoknow led^ed. A similar tour was suggested for Lnglanu by Mr. Georf/e Barha>a, managing direo^or of the Dairy Sjpplv Cj , Lruite j, ibid gentlemau offering to guanntea halt tbo coat of construction and preliminary expenses. This tonr, however, never got further than Mr Buhani's oll^v and ifca di»cus3ion— it was never taken up. Ihu apathy i-J to b3 do plored, for if wa aro to k-.ey pace with our foroign competitor?, -nr. ly one of the principal things ti> be dor.t; d t > u<\ t J our producers a i cuiirant with the l>v.u-o l-ivyntioiid, even though, to a certain extent, it may b3 the means of advortLnng our opponents. So, apparently, thought the Saottibh Dairy Asaociation, for, having agreed that there was room for improvement in the dairies of Soot land, they first engaged a Canadian expert to travel the country, visiting the principal farm houses, and making cheese in pubho on his own plan, and explaining the process by the way. It was then deemed advisablj to turn tho attention of the butter proddc?rn to the improved methods of making butter. For thit> purpose it was agiced to secure a coin plate collection of tbe most approved appliances, with a dairymaid and attendants to Bhow the practical woikin,-', and a lecturer to spy out the land, tell hia audience wherein their dairied were deficient, and to explain the latest theories and inventions in conuectiou with butter-making. The Assoo'&tion wert gieatl/ assisted by the Dairy Supply Co., Limited, of Museum-street, London, WC, who lent a* most complete collection of appH ance3, including separator, butter-workers, testing appliances, cre&m-raiaing invention* churns, refrigerators, &13., and a small vertical engine and boiler, mounted on a carriage for travelling by road. The Association was fortunate in being able to seoure the services of Mr. W. W. Chilton as lecturer. He has an unique experience in these matters. He conducted the Irish tour of 1881, and has since lectured for the British Dairy Farmerd' Association and other societies. The tour was started on the 19th of August at Aitkenbrae, near A>r, and, with the exception of tho last two weeks but one, the demonstrations were confined to Ayrshire. The operations were conducted at a member's farm ; and the dairy stayed, as a rule, a week at each farm vieited. The barn waa gene rally utilised for the demonstrations. Tue separating and churning commenced each day at 12 o'olock, and was followed by a halfhour's practical leclu ', vfter which questions were asked and discussion invited. After staying at several farms in the neigh borhood of Ayr, the dairy was removed to Cdlzean Castle, the seat of the Marquis of Ailaa. From fchenca it was taken to Birrhill, returning to the neighborhood of Kilmarnock, Beith, Dairy, and Irvine for about a month, woikiiig on the 30th of October at the great annual butter and chaese show of Ktlmarnock, where large crowds witnefised the demonstrations. After two weeks in Renfrewshire, under the pa'ronage of Mr. P. Coatee, of Ferguslie, the toui- was brought to a close at the Home Farm of Mr. J. Somerville, of Sorn Caatle, near Mauchhne. Taw gentleman purchased tne whole of the collection, with the intention of organising a butter-f&otory for the benefit of hia tenants. It was discovered at the outset that, although the separator was the causa of much wonderment and admiration, the skimming of milk and the churning of cream weie not at all likely to find favor in the eyea of the oanny Scot. In Ayrshire, and through a great part of Scotland, the whole milk ia churned, ao<] for a very good reason. There is a regulai demand, and a very ready b<\\q for butter milk. It h the staple beverage of tho pcasani (failing whisky, of course), and is CDnsumea by a far larger class in the shape of scones and cakes that form so important a con stituent in the Sootch diet. TaHng one thing with another, and the- " wee drop " of watei added to the churning, the butter-ni'lk to the churner of whole milk yields a profit equal to not lesa than two-thirds of the value of the butter produced. [? — Ed.j Many farmers find it pay to cart the butter-milk to town 4 as far as 10 miles distant, returning same day, making 20 miles daily. There seems to be no law about theaduUer at ion of butter miik, and the fact that it itadulterated is recognised by the consumers, who cay that it would ba thick, and would require a knife and fork to sup it with unless the water were added. To prepare the milk for churning, when it ia taken from the cow it is set to ' lap),er" (i.e., to become thick and soar) in deep earthenware vessels holding from ~>o to.l>o gallon 8. In the best dairies the milk is Bet to cool down to about 70 degs. beforo putting it up to ripen. The " lappering " takes place in about two days. The ohurn is, of course, a very large concern, and even in the smallest dairy entaild the expenso and labour of a horsegear. The ripening of the wholo milk is a slow process in the winter, unless the dairy is warmed ; and it is a very difficult one in the very hot weather, aad where tllore is taundei in the air. At the first halting pboo of the dairy it was suggested that tha separator did not take out all the cream. Thi3 doubt was set at reat by the separation and extraction of cream from Home very carefully hagd-3kimmed milk, which was produced by one of the doubters. Although the dairies vuited .and thoie in the neighborhood were, aa a rule, well built aud carefully kept in their selva i, ia many cases they opened directly nto die byre. Tnia was, of coursi, conv> nient for currying the milk in from the byre ; ba, the strong smell which, as a natural cou^equence, parvaded the dairy was fatal to the production of first class butter. The use of the batter worker ia preference to hand working wa3 new to most of the nudienaas, and its practicil utility wai generally admitted. It is worth noting that tl-e farmer who wag moot succodsf ul in Un curedbutter classes at the Kilmarnock Shosv w.i 3 one of the very few who used a butter worker. It wa3 also remarkable that the two most luocessful butter exhibitors at Kilmaruock weie tenant-farmers whose land wa3 very poor indeed. The one who rented the best of the two farms said his cattle had plenty of wat,jr and a fine view, but very little eke, and it waa really truo as far aa pasture wa? concerned. The necessity of testinj the relative valuta of the cows was strongly urged by the lecturer, as it was shown by practioal experiments that some cows wera being retained which did not yield sufficient buttor to p iy for their keep. At Blairlaud Farm, tho Bkim-milk obtained from tho separator was " lappered " aid churned for threo houra, but no butter wa? obtained. The quantity of milk required for i ie pound of butter lesnened, of course, as tie aeaaon advanced, and house-feeding w^a added to make up for tho deficiency of era is, but still the variation on different farms, a ul always with Aryshiro cow-?, waa remarkaMe At one farm, for a week, it took only t vo gallons of milk for the pound of butt jr. Others did nearly as well, whilst some kok as muoh aa three gallons. This latter qm.n fcity was the most required throughout the town. The appliauces of the model dairy loolod somewhat bulky and imposing. They requn ed two vans for transit, and tho engine brou; ht up the rear. It waa a common remark, ' ijic % heap o' things to mak' a bit butter. I could

do fully as woel in ray little dairy with my »,]q few things.' ' When it w«n explained that the machinery shown wan sufficient for the manipulation oE tho milk o£ from 200 to 300 cow-}, the voic9 of tho detractor was silent. Again, the detractor was sometimes asked ii ho could cany bia " am few things"— hort'e-.^oar, Btroamlet churn, lapping vessels, and all the rest — in leas than two vans. Although, for obvious reasons, the churning of whole milk is not likely to be abandoned in Scotland, the Scottish Dairy Association may be justly congratulated on having done real good practical work with their tour, and no more conclusive proof of this faot is needed beyoud the magnificent diaplay of oheeae and baiter exhibited at they.Kihntirnook Show. — Live Stock Journal.