The Falls City tribune. (Falls City, Neb.) 1904-191?, June 24, 1904, Image 12
1 K , , . II I II I I I Clean Milk for Chicago We have had a great deal to say In the past about the unclean condition of the milk that goes to Chicago and other great clUes. Let It not be sup , posed that there 'Is not being a constant . tant Improvement In this matter and that Chicago Is not receiving some clean milk also. Last week a representative . . sentaUV of the Farmers' Review vis. Ited a bottling plant at Barrington , Illinois. This plant Is a now one just opened by the Bowman Company of Chicago and Is the third one of the kind belonging to this company , the other two being I1t Crystal Lake and Elburn. The one at Barrington began operations on the first day of May and at the time of being visited had been running but three days. It will pay anyone Interested In the produc , tHm and Ute handling of milk to visit this plant , or , In fad , any of the three plants mentioned ; for he will receive a valuable object lesson In the han dung of milk for human _ consumption With Ute exception of pasteurhatlon , nothing Is left undone to make the milk absolutely clean. Mr. Pock , vice president ! of the company , told the writer that the reason pasteurization was not practiced was because the other means of insuring Clean milk are so effective ' that the pasteurization JOGS not seem to be necessary. This la the claim also of Mr. Gurler , whose milk Is acknowledged to be about as pure as It Is possible to get milk. . S a The bottling plant at Barrington represents - resents an Investment of about ' 30 , . 000 , .and'is now receiving about 20,000 pounds of mUle per day , from 43 pa- trons. The establishment has a capacity . Ity of 50,000 pounds a day , and the I I company hopes to have 100 men bringing milk before the summer Is over. It must be remembered that the first part of May Is not a very good time for the production of milk. The , supply that Is being received now Is getting the same attention that It J would receive If it were double what It 1s. As soon as It comes Into the building It Is run through the separators . tors and Is Immediately remixed In the same proportion as before It was separated The Cunning through the separator IH to take out the slime and dirt that will always be found in the milk in a greater or less degree. The milk III then run over an immense milk cooler and reduced to about 40 degrees , the pipes at the cooler being filled with brine at a temperature of about 15 degrecs. A part at the milk Is bottled at once and the surplus Is run Into a great tank In the refrigera tor , the tank having a capacity of about 1,900 gallons In this tank Is an agitator that is continually stirring the milk. The temperature of the fA- frlgerator chamber is about 40 do- grecs. When the milk is put Into bottles the latter are at once sealed and packed in cases that hold one dozen each. There is a large machine . chine for breaking ice and from this the ice is packed over the tops of the boxes , and these are placed In special refrigerator car , several of which are set aside for the exclusive use of the Bowman Company In fact , eight cars of milk are sent to Chicago every day by this company from their three plants. Ae soon as Ute hundreds of boxes of bottled milk are placed In a car an Immense canvas Is at once drawn over them This keeps the temperature around Ute cases uniform : In summer and winter , and It Is not found necessary to use Ice In the cars , though the latter are built for that purpose. The Is canvas therefore a great money saver , and this idea might well be adapted to use in our farm refrigerators or In cooling rooms where ice la much exposed and melts rapidly. The canvas also keeps out Ute excessive cold in the winter and prevents the temperature around the bottles taIlIng to the freezing point. Milk Is not received from all kinds of farms The company has a rigid system at inspection and is exacting , I as to stable conditions and the teed of the cows , handling of the milk and the like Inspectors make frequent vlss ! ! to the farms , and In the case of Barrington the farms are all carefully Inspected by Mr. Peck himself , who lean an M. ) + D. No diseased cow Is per- mitted to remain in Ute herds that are being used for milk production , and a contract 1sl7 signed by Ute milk pro- ducer to conform to certain require- ments , This , Mr. Peck declares , is the very foundation of all work of im proving the milk supply. He does not believe that goverment Inspectors can have much effect on the situation , for they cannot enforce their orders without - out a suit at law. But when a man hRS a contract the company with whom he hal the contract has always the weapon in its hands for forcing ' compliance with its orders. If he does not comply with the regulations he can be instantly punished by the com- pany declaring the contract void. In this contract the milk producer agrees that he "will keep his cows In clean , well.dralned and well.ventlated ] stables - bles ; that they shall have access to , pure water , and shall be supplied with an abundance of good wholesome food that will produce milk of standard richness , that they shall not be fed turnips , wet malt , ensilage , or any food that will Impart a disagreeable flavor to the milk ; that no milk shall bo delivered at the factory from a cow that shall have calved less than eight days previously , or from any cow , that may be In Ute slightest degree dls- eased. The milk Is to be drawn In the most cleanly manner and shall be immediately - medlatey ] cooled in a cold water tank In which the water Is not over 60 degrees - grees , and shall be kept at that tom perature tm delivered at the factory , at which time It shall not have reached JL temperature of more than 60 degrees , The milk In transit to the factory shall be protected by a canvas covering , " There are other numerous requirements , among them one admitting the company's agents and inspectors to the premises at all Umes. Mr. Peck says that the reason he objects to the farmers feeding silage Is that he cannot depend on them feeding it In the right conditioner or not keeping It around the stables when the milk is being drawn , in which case the flavor Is sure to get into the milk. He says also ] that he does not allow the patrons to pasture their herds on clover for more than a limited period per day , as too much clover flavors the mUk. We think some at our scientists will take issue with Mr. Peck In this regard . a . The manner of handling the bottles Is most perfect , and the washing and sterilizing s ems almost excessive. The bottles as soon as received are placed In a great machine that is called a soaking machine. It is a great wheel with places for hundreds of bot. tieR , and while dirty bottles arc going under the water on one side others are coming up on the other well- soaked and a third full of water. The bottles are scrubbed out by a man with a circular brush , after which they are placed on another machine and jets of hot water thrown Into them from below and upon them from above. A good many bottles are broken - . en at this point , being unable to stand the heat to which the hot water sub- - jects them. They are then loaded onto . to wheeled racks at the rate of 720 bottles per rack and run Into a great steaming room , after which the door of Ute rapm is closed and they are exposed - posed to a temperature of live steam for 15 minutes. If this won't sterilize them nothing will. Bottles so treated are certainly safe vessels ; In which to put pure milk. One trouble 'ulUt the rA . . bottling system has been that the bottles - ties brought back disease trom the houses of the milk takers , and the disease - ease germs JIved through the Imperfect - fect washings to get Into the new lot at milk and carry disease again Mr. Pock says that unless the bottles are properly sterilized the bottling system - tem Is worth less than the old dipping system. As to bottles , it may be interesting . terestlng to know that the loss of betties - ties is very great Mr Peck ' said that they had used $800 worth at bottles to convey the milk during the three days In which the factory had been In oper- alien , and that the loss In bottles 15 about S 1.3 per cent per day , or 100 per cent every thirty days. Tht2 ( : ! means that Ute company must pur chase an entire new set of bottles ev cry month This loss amounts to UO ; ; 000 per year for the Bowman Company alone. The bottles are not all broken Many of them disappear In Ute houses ! of Ute patrons. It Is assumed that they are found to be very convenient for the putting up of jams , preserves and pickles. But after all , Ute consumers have to pay for them In an advanced price for milk. The same milk tha : used to 3ell for six . cents a quart un- bottled now sells for 7 cents ' per quart. bottled. The people demand their milk this way and will still ask for bottled milk when In future years It goes up to 8 and 10 cents per quart , as it has done In eastern cities and as it is certain to do in Chicago. The loss to the bottling Is company not only In disappearing and broken bot- tles. It costs 50 per cent more in rail. road freight to convey milk In bottles than it did In cans a a . . - . Mr. Peck says that the one thing he would like to get rid of Is dirt. . The man that Is producing the milk on the farm finds it extremely hard to do this. If he had enough milkers so that he could spend his time bossing the job he could get pure milk. But he can't hire enough milkers to per mlt him to do this , and has to do much of Ute milking himself. If he does not like the work of some milker he dares Bay little to him about it , for hired men hate to milk so badly that they say "good.by" on the least provo- cation. A farmer dislikes to lose a good hired man even if ! he is not an Ideal milker This 18 only one phase of Ute farm labor problem that Is al. , ways with us.-Farmers' Review. Quaker Beauty Crab The Virginia Station has been experimenting , perlmentlng with this variety of crab hpple , and 'in a report says ot It : This variety docs not appear to be widely disseminated ; it Is recommended - mended by Thomas for plantlllg In ! the West. One of Ute trees has made weak growth , but the other 10 moderately ately vigorous ; forms a roundish head ; limbs are stocky and at scraggy growth. The largest tree measures 21 Inches In circumference at base , and 19 inches at head Apparently free from disease. First bloom In 1892 ; bore 1,3 bushel handsome fruit the same season. Bore a heavy crop of fruit In 1895 , but since that-time the crops have been very light. Fruit large , color straw yellow ground washed with delicate rose on ex. posed cheek , not showy. Flesh creamy white , firm , crisp , but not as rich as that of Transcendant. This variety has not been productive enough to warrant us in recommending it for general planUng. We are becoming 110 well acquainted with fire blight that it will not be many years before we will learn how to prevent It being disseminated. The most natural method would seem to be to cover the Infected trees with whitewash or some oUter wash that would prevent insects in the spring tram feeding on the Infected sap and thus conveying the spores to healthy trees. With the pumps for throwing ' whitewash , this should not be a dIM cult matter. Most sandy soils are leachy and need organic matter to help hold both the moisture and the fertility. I The Dairy Well ,1 The well on the dairy farm Is a fan tor of importance , though it frequent- ' ; t' . . . . ly is , .hsrdly'mentioned in the consid- . -1 eratfon of dairy topics. Frequently ! the condition ot the well makes the dairy a success 01' a falluro. To 1l1ua- , trat. . At a creamery of which the I writer knows , mUk 18 being received i from over 100 patrons . AU of these , U with the exception of two , brine their fi \ milk every day , while the two excep- , bring their milk every exceptions I the Tear round. Being asked If the milk from these two patrons did not make a good deal of trouble , the butter maker replied that he had never had the least trouble with them. They bad ion i on their farms exceptionally cold springs of water , the thermometer , , .rs I . when placed In the water showlnK a i temperature ! of 48. With such a temperature - ! perature the farmers found It easy to cool the milk down to a point where ' 'It ' would keep sweet for two days . " . . . " _ . - - There 18 a zone of earth that has always - y ways the same temperature the year ' , around In Northern Illinois this zone 1 ( called the zone of thermal equilibrium j brium- ) begins at a depth of about twenty feet and continues to a depth of about eighty feet. The temperature - ture runs at about 48 to 60 degrees . the year around. It Is evident , there. , ' fore , that a well sunk to a depth of eighty feet wilt baTe water that will " ! be very cold . and water from such a ; well will never need Ice to make It ' serviceable in the dairy. Such water Is not only' cold but generally VOlT , free from hrapurIUes. : There are many welle on dairy farms and other farms that are too shallow. They go down to water and then stop , the owner thinking that water Is water and that If he , has water that Is all that Is necessary. But It should be remem -1 bored that the temperature of the water Is a matter ot very great importance - portance for all purposes of the dairy and for drinking In the honsehold. The well should be deep that it may , yield cold water. It Is dimcult to figure . ure out the money value of a well that makes Ice UDnecesaary. There Is not only the saving In the cost of ice , but the enhanced .1.0 of the dairy products made with the assistance ot such water , and to this must be added the convenience and saving of time. The dairy should be so 101 nted that nothing of a vegetable nature can soak Into it. Investigations have . shown that many ot the had flavors In J butter have come from the water In which the butter was washed. There ? i ' are a good many wells now supplying ] l. . , 'i water for use in the dairy that should be abl1ndoned. It will not cost much , j ' I to locate a new well , especially when ' the soil Is of such a nature that the ' well may be a driven one. The 'l ' well Is , of . . . . . . . . a hard ! ' ! ! ' AWnl" dug tn f' J , - - - - _ _ _ "U manage , as Its cost Is considerable. : . .1 , If it strikes ledge that Is the end of It , for in carrying a well Into the solid ' rock the COlt Is prohlb1UTe. It is a I' , mistake for the farmer to suppose , ; ' that the groun'd" acts as a great filter I to take out all kinds of matter that tends to soak down into the well. . , .1 Its filtering properties seem to be 1I1J:1. ] : t j Itad to the nitrification processes that I are constantly going on In the ground . "I under normal condition. But In times of great freshets , WaD the ground 11 . filled with water , this prooea does set f I seem to act wIth .umclent rapidity to ' 1 " protect the wen from receiving aU ? ! ' /i . , kinds of impurities , for the reason f that the movement of water in' the . _ . _ . 1 Boll Is then accelerated. It mar cost ' . " ' . _ I something to locate a well a hundred feet from the buildings and have to. carry the water In pipes under the ground to the milk house and the kitchen , but 10 a great many instances this w111 have to be done , if pure water Its to be obtained. It will prove I to be a good Inv tment . In the ond. I ' - - - Ordinarily It Is better for a person to stick to pure bred stock In the de- ltt velar-meat of a poultry establishment. 11 ! I 1' (