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ROBEETSON \y\ DOMINION DAIRY COMMISSIONER AND AGRICULTURIST BEFORE THE SELECT STANDING COMMITTEE OS AGRICULTURE AND COLONIZATION 14tli MAY, 1895 WITH APPENDIX PRINTED BY ORDER OF PARLIAMENT OTTAWA GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU 1896 ^p TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Dairy progress and production in Prince Edward's Island 3 Winter dairying in P. E. Island 5 Branding of cheese o New Perth dairy station, Prince Edward Island — business summary 7 Dairy progress in NovJi Scotia 8 Dairy work in New Brunswick ** Agricultural conferences 9 Instruction in dairying in Quebec 10 Dairy teaching in Ontario 10 Dominion Dairying Service — travelling dairies 12 Manitoba and the Territories in relation to dairying 12, 13 Government aid to butter for export , 14 Cold storage service for butter 19 ProsiJects of the cheese trade for the current y' ar 21 Nutritive value of food products 21 Appkndix on the making of butter 26 Separ&ting the cream 26 The setting of milk 26 Creaming milk from cows calved more than six months 27 Separating cream by the centrifugal method 27 The ripening of the cream 28 Churning 29 The working of the butter 30 Preparing packages and packing the butter 30 Cleaning the uten3ila 31 -,^. . ■• ■ , -0. : ♦ ' • > «• ,• • ''d^ Committee Boom No. 48, * /:-■ ^ ■ House op Commons, • ■ • . Ottawa, 14th May, 1895. The Select Committee on Agriculture and Colonization met this morning at 10.30, Mr. Sproule, Chairman, presiding. ;-^- .:.-•; ■ . % ■ -■ Mr. J AS. W. ROBERTSON, Dominion Dairy Commissioner, was called and addressed the meeting as follows : — Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen, — This morning I shall arrange what I have to say under four heads that you may have my work described as clearly as is practicable in the time at my disposal. I shall speak in the first place of the Dairying Service in con- nection with the various experimental dairy stations established in the different provinces ; in the second place, of the action taken by the Department to help the butter trade by shipments of butter to Great Britian ; iu the third place, of the cold storage service and accommodation through which it is proposed to assist the develop- ment of the butter trade this summer ; and in the fourth place, of the outlook of the cheese market for the current year. If there be any time at my disposal when I have finished these, and if the committee would like my opinion on the bill now before the House, dealing with the branding of cheese, I shall discuss that. I shall begin in the far east at Prince Edward Island. In 1892 there was only one dairy station on the Island, at New Perth ; it was put up by the farmers themselves. The government loaned the machinery to fit up the factory in Prince Edward Island. All the others there, were built and fitted up at the expense of joint stock companies of the farmers themselves. In 1893 we managed 11 dairy stations, patronized by 1187 farmers, turning out cheese to the value of $48,000. The cost to the Government for taking control of these was about $2,500 for the year, including the salary of Mr. Dillon, Dairy Superintendent on Prince Edward Island. In 1894 there were 16 cheese factories and two creameries. The new factories were put up without any direct prom- ise of help from Uo, but they were put up by the people on the expectation that the Government would give them help similar to that afforded to the other factories in 1893. After they were put up I recommended to the Hon. the Minister of Agriculture that we take charge of the manufacturing of cheese and the making of butter in these factories on terms similar to what had been given in 1893. We charged 1^ cents per pound for the manufacturing of cheese, and 3^ cents per pound for the manfacturing of butter, the cost of delivering the milk at the factory being paid by the farmers them- selves in both cases. Up to the end of December the value of the total quantity of cheese and butter manufactured in them was over $90,000. ^ £y Mr. McMillan : Q. Had you not better give us the cheese and butter separately ? — A. We had, from cheese, $78,370, and in butter $11,830. We had two creameries which were run all summer and were continued all winter, besides one creamery started at New Perth after the cheese-making was ended there for the season. The value of the butter is estimated in part because some of it was held at Charlottetown to meet the demands of the local markets. It is being sold at 16 and 17 cents. The average price of the whole of the cheese sold from the factories on the Island was a little over 10^ cents per pound in 1893, which I think was the highest price recorded by any single factory in the Do- minion for that year. This sufficiently proves that the cheese were fine in quality. Besides that, there is another substantiation of the claim that the cheese produced in Prince Edward Island was of fine quality. .In both years, 1893 and 1894, the cheese were sold in a falling market at the top price at the time, and there has not been a MR. JAS. W. ROBERTSON single complaint in quality from those who bought them. Everybody who has had any- thing to do with the sale of cheese knows that if there is the least ground of complaint, when the cheese is bought in a falling market, the purchaser is certain to let you know ; but in Prince Edward Island we sold over 12,000 boxes and there was not a complaint. Last year out of 12,200 boxes, only 27 cheese were not fit to ship or sell at ordinary prices, which I think was as low a percentage of inferior cheese as any factory can show. The prices realized by the farmers in 1893 ranged from 66| to 76^ cents per 100 pounds of milk. Last year, 1894, the prices ranged from 64^ to 71f cents per 100 pounds of milk. By Mr, Macdonald {Huron) : Q. Is the cheese all sold that was manufactured last year 1 — A. They were all sold in November, with the exception of those 27 boxes. By Mr. McMillan : Q. Is there any truth in the report in the " Globe " of the meeting held at Brock- ville about the condition of the cheese manufactured in Prince Edward Island not be- ing what it ought to have been ? — A. I did not see the report in the " Globe " but I will tell you what did happen at Brockville. Mr. M. K. Evertts had said at Malloiytown that the cheese of Prince Edward Island made in 1893 were inferior in quality and insinuated that they were not worth more than 8f cents per pound. I said that as a matter of fact the cheese were all superior in quality and were sold for half a cent a pound above the average price in Ontario, and for a price higher than was realized from the cheese manufactured in any of his factories. By Mr. Cochrane : Q. Where was it sold 1 — A. It was sold from the warehouse in Charlottetown to a firm of merchants in Montreal. There was not a single iota of foundation for the state- ment that the cheese were inferior or that the price was one to be ashamed of. There is one other matter which I think I should bring before the committee in con- nection with our work in Prince Edward Island. There have been some rumours going about that the government had somehow been hocusing the cheese industry thereby means of payments on account of milk supplied to the factories before the cheese were sold. The fact is that $36,000 were voted by Parliament to enable me to pay advances of 50 cents per 100 pounds on milk supplied at all the dairy stations in all the provinces. No interest was paid by the government, so that it cost nobody anything and was of decided benefit and advantage to the farmers. The people themselves on the Island, the leading farmers there with whom I have conversed, say that of the $90,200 worth of cheese and butter last year at least $50,000 is the amount which they realized from the same farms and cows more than they did before they were acquainted with this method of conducting their business. The whole cost to the treasury last year up to the end of our cheese making season was about $4,800, so that by the spe,nding of $4,800, the revenue of the farmers of Prince Edward Island from their natural resources was increased by at least $50,000 more than it had been or would have been if this work had not been done. Q. Was this from the same number of farms and cows ? — A. Yes, from the same farms, but the farmers are growing more Indian corn to feed to more cows hereafter. It is not that they are drawing more money out of anybody's pockets, but they are making more wealth out of their own resources. The point I wish to impress upon the committee is that the spending by the farmers of the $50,000 of additional revenue derived by them would more than recoup the treasury for all it cost the Government to start this work, so that instead of the other farmers of Canada contributing of their money for the benefit of those of Prince Edward Island the work there has been more than self-sustaining, and the increased re>%nue to the Government from taxation has more than balanced the expenditure. THE DAIRYING SERVICE 5 Nobody in any other pare of the Dominion is being called upon to sustain the work in that part of Canada. I might sum up the whole of our work in Prince Edward Island in developing the cheese-making industry, by saying: The treasury of the Dominion has been re-imbursed for all it has spent on it ; the good name of Canadian cheese has been sustained and improved (hear, hear) ; because no single province has sent so much fine cheese, out of the quantity it did send, as Prince Edward Island; and the people there have been benefitted very much by what has been done for them. (An hon. member — Bully for you). WINTER DAIRYING IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. Then the winter dairying movement has been commenced in Prince Edward Island in a most satisfactory way. The cheese factory at New Perth was fitted up last fall for the making of butter. It ran the whole winter ; and when I was there in March, they made butter once a week, at the rate of over 300 pounds. That butter was all taken on the Island at prices ranging from 20 to 21^ cents per pound. Two other creameries that had been in operation during the summer, were also carried on in Prince Edward Island, during the winter, this year. Three factories have been running all the winter, although it was said we could not carry on the business past November, and we have applications from the directors of three other factories, to have butter making cairied on in them during the coming winter. They would put in the butter-making apparatus and equipment at their own expense. All we would do would be to provide a butter- maker for making the butter, and charge them 3^ cents per pound for doing it. The one lack which the people of the Island still have for continuing this dairy business themselves, is that of close market contact. There have not been means of direct com- munication from the Island to Great Britain for shipping cheese or butter, and there have been no buyers on the Island to purchase the cheese or butter for export, except those who went at my invitation, and so it has been decided to run the factories there during the current year mainly for the purpose of giving the farmers, through the presidents and representatives of the joint stock companies, a chance to meet the buyers of cheese and butter, helping in the marketing themselves in some measure, and thus becoming fully acquainted with the whole range of business. When that is done, I think the farmers will be both competent and willing to run the factories themselves, except in the case of a few of the smaller ones, which might fairly and reasonably expect and really deserve the support we can give for another year by running the factories for them. Of the thirty cheese factories that are to be in operation this year, I estimate that ten of them will more than pay the whole of the expenses incurred, and leave a small profit, to be turned over and applied to meet charges incurred in the management of the smaller factories. By an hon. member : Q. Is the skim milk returned to the patrons, because it appears there is not very much left for them after paying 3J cents for making butter ? I think you said it sold at 1 7 cents per pound 1 — A. That was some of the summer and fall butter. Yes ; the skim milk is taken back by the patrons from the creameries, and the whey is taken by them from the cheese factories. By Mr, Innea : Q. Is there anything in the report that the butter made on the Island is tainted by seaweed t — A. I do not think there is. There was a report that the cheese had a sectional flavour ; that has been made fun of by a few unimportant people ; but the sectional flavour of Prince Edward Island cheese is like the sectional flavour in the cheese from Stvitzerland, which fetches the highest price in the London market. That is why a merchant, who once got this Island cheese, has been wanting to buy it ever since. He was well pleased with the quality of it. The peculiar flavour is that from the bacteria which are common in the atmosphere there. 8 ATB. J AS. W. ROBERTSON Q. Did it have any effect on the price when sold ? — A. Not so far. The clieese was always sold at top market price ; and there was no complaint afterwards. I might give one illustration. When the Prince Edward Island cheese went to Chicago some of the experts there discussed with me a peculiar flavour they had found in one of these cheeses. I went with the judges after the judging was done that day and examined other cheeses which were there, to compare the flavour with that of the Swiss cheese. They said : " That is good cheese. We thought it was some new and there- fore objectionable flavour, but we find it is all right." It was merely the unusual flavour that puzzled the judges and so at first it was condemned by them. I think the Island is capable of turning out as fine cheese, in fact I think the finest cheese, that are made on this continent. Q. Of that peculiar flavour ? — A. Not so pronounced. The flavour is also some- what like that of the Dunlop cheese, which long held the first place in Scotland. By Mr. McMillan : Q. Did these cheese go to the market in England ? — A. The cheese were sent to England ; that was the ultimate destination. We sold them to a Montreal house, but I learned that they had gone to London, England. BRANDING OF CHEESE. By Mr. Cochrane : Q. Are these cheese branded ? — A. They are branded on the boxes " Prince Edwcrd Island." Q. Not on the cheese '! — A. Not on the cheese, because tho brands on our summer cheese in a moist climate like that of Prince Edward Island would not be discernible after the lapse of a few months on account of the mould. By the Chairman: Q. All the boxes of cheese are branded before leaving Montreal ? — A. They are branded " Canadian " because the English Tradesmark Act demands that the name of the country of origin be on the product. By Mr. McNeill : Q. Could not the brand be on something that would appear or the cheese ? — A. In my opinion it would be quite undecipherable on the cheese. In a moist climate the mould would cover the brand and it would not be discernible if put on the side of the cheese. I had a letter from a large manufacturer of cheese in Nova Scotia a few days ago, referring to the same matter ; and he said he had not been able so far to put his particular brand of '• Antigonish, Nova Scotia," upon his cheese so as to have it discernible after the cheese had been kept a few months. Q. Would it not be possible to have a label J — A. I think it would be difficult to have a label adhere on account of the greasy condition of the cheese cloth and of the exudation from the cheese in hot weather. ' By Mr. McMillan : Q. I have seen it done in June and July until September and the brand was all right 1 — A. In western Ontario you have not the same difficulty from humidity of the climate. In Prince Edward Island the work has been under the immediate charge of Mr. T. J. Dillon, who is a very capable cheese-maker and a good business man. He attended forty-one meetings since my last report and has trained in these factories seven young cheese-makers, who take charge of seven of the new factories this year. After this year THE DAIRYING SERVICE 7 there will be over thirty Island boys, farmers' sons in every case, ready to take charge of the factories on the Island, so that the people will be able in every respect to run the business themselves after this present year. The probable value of the output of cheese and butter this year will be about $180,000. The farmers are growing corn, building silos and feeding their cows much cheaper than they did, finding they can make milk after some of the factories close in October, supply themselves with butter and furnish all they want to the shopkeepers. So they have increased the milking capacities of their cows during the summer, prolonged the milking season, and found a market for their product. SUMMARY OF THK BUSINESS FOR THE SEASON OP 1894 AT THE NEW PERTH DAIRY STATION, P.E.I. The factory was opened on June Ist, and closed October 30th. Milk was furnised by 73 patrons. The quantity of milk received was 600,413 lbs. The quantity of cheese manufactured was 56,332 lbs. The quantity of milk required to make a pound of cheese was 10-65 lbs. The total quantity of butter fat was 2 1,335 88 lbs. The average quantity of fat was 3*55 lbs. in 100 lbs. of milk. The quantity of cheese manufactured was 2*64 lbs. per lb. of fat in the milk. The average price realized for cheese was 9*92 cts. per lb. The net value of butter fat was 20*225 cts. per lb. Practions of cents . Receipt* from Sales of Cheese. Sold to Hodgaon Bros., Montreal Sold to R. LawBcn, Toronto Sold to H. N. Bate k Son, Ottawa Sold for local trade, as per statement No. 3 Sold to patrons, as per statement No. 1 Disbursetn/!nts. Charge for manufacturing — 66,332 lbs. @ li cts. per lb. Amount paid for milk drawing, statement No. 2 Freight, wharfage and truckage Divided among patrons for milk :— • Cash, as per statement No. 1 Cheese do do Seeds, &c. do do Balance paid by cheque, 1895, statement No 1 Lbs. 35,018 210 213 18,322 2,509 S cts. 3,361 93 21 35 21 30 1,927 93 256 92 56,332 9 cts. 2,591 00 266 92 46 52 1,420 76 4,315 20 18 6,589 43 704 15 515 56 54 34 4,315 38 5,589 43 MR. JA8. W. ROBERTSON. The full details of the work in Prince Edward Island are published on sheets (of which the foregoing is a summary) for every factory, with a further statement of the milk received, the cheese sold, to whom sold, and a statement of the account of every farmer showing the quantity of milk he sent, and the money he received. If any member of the committee would like to get copies of these, 1 have fifty extra copies of the state- ments referring to each factory. They are sent to all the patrons for educational pur- poses. Any patron, in the event of his neighbour getting $250 while he himself only got $100, can find out the reasons for that and endeavour to improve his own manage- ment. DAIRY PHOORRSS IN NOVA SCOTIA. In the Province of Nova Scotia we have a dairy station at Nappan. We made cheese from the 1st of July to the 9th of October, and butter froia the 9th October until probably the end of next month (June.) At this station our butter for th*) winter was sold at 23 cents per pound, being contracted for in Halifax early in the fall. That con- tract lasted until the middle of April, I think ; and after that we have simply to take what the market will afford. There have been many visitors to the dairy station at Nappan. Nineteen yourg men have learned butter making and cheese making there, and are now in good positions in factories either in Nova Scotia or the adjoining province of New Brunswick. This dairy station has been useful to the farmers who have found through it a market for their milk and in addition it has afforded a good opportunity to young men in these two provinces to learn the business and to follow it up. Mr. J. E. Hopkins is in charge of this dairy station, and it has also been his duty to visit the factories in the province to give instructions and advice. In 1894 sixteen factories were built, ten of them putting in the plant for making both butter and cheese. In that year there were 39 factories altogether in operation in that province, and they are commencing to make butter during the winter and cheese during the summer. In 1895, the present year, there will likely be 49 cheese and butter factories in operation in Nova Scotia, and that province this year will become an exporter of cheese. I may add that Mr. Hopkins has, during the winter, attended 22 public meetings. DAIRY WORK IN NEW BRUNSWICK. The Dairying Service in Nt w Brunswick has been somewhat similar to that in the other provinces, although in each province, we have tried to adapt our work to the special needs of the farmers. At Kingsclear, the dairy station is now managed by a joint stock company. We had the management of it, for butter making for two years. At Sussex, N.B., winter butter making was started in 1893 ; the factory is now in charge of a com- pany and it is managed very satisfactorily. We had a travelling dairy in this 'irovince which went into the more sparsely settled districts and gave instructions in butter making particularly for horre dairying. We sent out posters on which the programme of the work for the day was given. This programme included the testing of milk, the use of the centrifugal cream separator, the making and packing of butter, in fact the whole practical art of butter making from its first steps until the product was ready f jr the market. This travelling dairy visited sixty-eight places in the province and was in charge of Messrs. S. L. Peters and W. W. Hubbard. We found one unexpected service rendered in this way. Farmers would bring their skimmed milk and buttermilk to be tested, and in some cases it was discovered that there was 40 per cent of the butter fat left in the skimmed milk, owing to the ignorance of the farmers of the best method for recovering it. In other cases there would be 5 per cent of butter fat discovered in the buttermilk when there should only be about a quarter of one per cent. From the instructions which the travelling dairy was able to impart to them, the farmers have learned how to a^oid losses in these ways. The travelling dairies have proved themselves valuable in instruc- ting f aimers how to make butter for the home market. We commenced the dairy school THE DAIRYING SERVICE. • at Sussex, N.B., in 1894, and thau year we had 30 students who took t je courde of instruction. This school is expected to meet the needs of the two provinces. This year 64 students were in attendance. During the last session in order to make the oppor- tunity for instruction equally available to all the young men in the province, the local government co-operated with our department and paid half the railway fares of the students to Sussex. I am glad to acknowledge that the local governments have given as every aid, so that our work has not been in ai.y way combative of that of the pro- vincial governments, but in many instances we have arranged the plans for their work, and they have co-operated with us in the heartiest manner possible. AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCES. There is one feature of the work in the Maritime Provinces during the past year which deserves special mention, namely, the presence of His Excellency the Governor General at the three great agricultural conferences at Charlottetown, P.E.I., Frederic- ton, N.B., and Truro, N.S. His Excellency's attendance and addresses contributed much in awakening interest and quickening the enthusiasm of thefarmers about recognizing and making the most of the resources of their own country. I have always had a very great respect for and belief in the virtue and value of patriotic, unselfish sentiment ; and when you have gatherings of from three to ten thousand farmers you can quicken the whole- some sentiment in thos" T)rovinces in a way such as nothing else had done there previously. These gatherings were promoted and helped by the provincial authorities. The Lieutenant- Governors and the Provincial Premiers were on the platforms and delivered speeches. The general effect of the gatherings was to encourage the farmers and to stir*' a up to the task of developing the resources of theii' provinces, and making them better places to live it. At the meetings in question we had with us ex Governor Hoard of Wisconsin, who attended the meetings as a matter of generous international courtesy. And here I may make a remai'k of a somewhat personal character. I have been criticised for visiting the United States and delivering lectures at a few of the large conventions there during the past winter. Ex-Governor Hoard came to Canada last summer with- out charging any fee for his splendid services, simply to oblige us and to enjoy himself. He is perhaps the greatest living authority on the philosophy of dairying and when he asked me if I would take his place and address a few meetings in the New England States I felt that on the principle of one good turn deserving another, I could do no- thing eLe than accede to his request. The visit of ex-Governor Hoard through Canada last year has had most beneficial results to this country. He publishes four papers, one of which, " Hoard's Dairyman," is the most widely circulated dairy paper in the world, and goes into nearly all countries. Repeatedly since his return from the Mari- time Provinces he has made practical references to what he saw there. In the issue of this paper of May 3rd, 1895, this is what he is reported to have said in addressing a large gathering of cheese makers in the United States with reference to Prince Ed- ward Island. He said : — "They have hot weather there in the summer, though not as hot as we have, because they are so near the ocean. They make the finest cheese there that I ever saw. * * * l Ynde by carriage almost the length of Prince Edward Island which is 1 20 miles long. I visited factory after factory with Mr. D. M. Mc- Pherson and Prof. Robertson, and you would never know that all that cheese was not made by one man, on account or its uniformity. Every single cheese maker had been trained to a given standaid, and the result was, factories all being constructed alike, that the goods were remarkable fine, and of great uniformity, though I do bel'.eve that they were no better than we can make here in Northern Wisconsin." Then, if you will allow me, I will read another short extract to show the recognition and appreciation which this gentleman, who occupies a foremost place amongst the dairymen of the United States, has of the work of Their Excellencies the Governor General and the Countess of Aberdeen in their visit to the Maritime Provinces last year. The Hon. W D. Hoard says: "I found human nature just about the same as anywhere else ; but I found this, that the goverement takes a wonderful interest in the dairy industry and stands behind it with a tremendou.s 10 MR. J AS. W. ROBERTSON. force. Don't you think if tlie President of the United States should travel for a month holding dairy meetings that it would give great impulse to the sentiment of the country on that question ? Suppose that President Cleveland and his wife and little Ruth should start out and hold monster dairy meetings and bid the people ' God-speed this work of civilization, this is the work of progress and hope,' Don't you suppose it would give a great impulse to public sentiment along that line ? Now, this question is one which is objected to as being one of sentiment. ^hy men go to the?r death for senti- ment. I remember lots of times on the field of V fctle, when, if it hadn't V)een for my pride, my sentiment, I would have got out of there in a York minute. Sentiment, senti- ment everywhere. We love our country bec.use of sentin. carry the investigations a step further and provide for an examination of the most economical and beneficial foods for nourishing the people through these plants and animals which are grown and fed for that ultimate purpose. It does not seem wise to stop this investiga^'on at a point where they might, by being continued, become capable of rendering the largest, widest and most lasting service to the people. Information of this nature is what would help to make the nation stronger in the physique and personality of its people, as well as richer in the realizations from its resources. This is one reason why I believe in promoting the making of good butter and tine cheese. These have high values as foods, and can be easily used with other portions of our diet to make well-balanced and nutritious meals at a low cost to the peo- ple. If you look for a moment at the oh9,rt, you will observe that oatmeal and milk are among the best balanced foods that can be obtained, particularly during the growing pei'iod of life, and they have the decided advantage of being cheap. I have observed the diets of some of tiie people of Canada, who cannot afford to buy extravagantly or carelessly, and I find that I can buy f«.-r twenty -five cents considarably more nourishing food than many of these poor people, who do not know anything about the nutritive value of foods, buy for one dollar. COMPARAriVE VALUES OF FOOD PRODUCTS 25 the If we can help the people to understand these things and the principles whiia underlie them, and thus teach them how they can get more value for their money, we shall make our country more prosperous and better worth living in. Mr. O'Brien — I would like to ask the Dairy Commissioner's opinion on the branding of cheese. The Chairman — I think it might be well for us to call Prof. Robertson again, when he can enter into that subject much more fully than would be possible to-day. Prof. Robertson — Without discussing the general question there is one observation I may make. At Brockville the other day there seemed to be a feeling on the part of the dairymen that they would like to be represented by a deputation before this committee. I krow also that the Honourable the Minister of Agriculture would gladly receive a deputation of these gentlemen. If it be decided to invite them to Ottawa, I think the Dairymen's Boards of Trade would be represented from Belleville, Kingston, Brockville, Montreal, London, IngersoU, Listowel and other places. By Mr. Cochrane : Q. Are they the makers or buyers of cheese 1 — A. Nearly all of the members are the salesmen who represent the factories, and in the membership are also the men who buy cheese. I am given to understand that the Cheese and Butter Association of the Montreal Board of Trade, which represents the buyers, also wishes to be represented. Having examined the preceding transcript of my evidence, I find it correct. JAS. W. ROBERTSON, Dairy Commissioner. » ME. JAS. W. ROBERTSON [Li :r « Appendix to evidence ofJas. W. Robertson, Dairy Commissioner, before the Select Stand- ing Committee of the Home of Commons on Agriculture and Colonization. ON THE MAKING OF BUTTER. A thimbleful of milk of average quality contains over ten millions of globules of butter-fat. They are lighter than the liquid or serum of the milk, in which they float, and when it is left at rest the , rise to the top. Cream is only that part of the milk into which the globules of fat ato gathered in larger numbers than they are in the whole milk. It has no constant or regular percentage of butter-fat. There may be only 8^ pounds or th:jre may be 75 pounds of butter-fat in 100 pounds of cream. SEPAR&TiNQ THE CREAM. V. ' /' Two methods of separating the cream from milk are in common use ; one is known as the natural or setting method, and the other as the mechanical or centrifugal method. In the natural method, the force of gravitation attracts the heavier portion of t!ie milk, commonly known as skim milk, downwards in the vessel which contains it, with the result that the globules of fat are pushed upwards towards the top. The serum of milk is the name given to the heavier portion consisting of water, centaining the casein, albumen, sugar and ash, nearly wholly in solution in it. Sometimes the serum becomes viscous or sticky, and a small quantity of it adheres to the surface of the globules of fat, and like a coating of gum hinders their movement upwards. A small quantity of lacto-fibrin occurs in milk after it is drawn from the cow, and its delicate mesh is similar to the fibrin which forms in blood, causing it to clot after it is drawn from an artery or vein. That also retards the separation of the globules of fat into cream. In the mechanical method, centrifugal force is applied to the milk in a metallic boirt which it made to revolve very rapidly, in some machines at a rate of over 7,000 revolutions per minute. By the force thus applied, the serum of the milk is thrown outwards against the resisting inside of the bowl, and the globules of fat are pushed in- wards towards the centre. In the form of cream they are then conducted by a me- chanical device into one vessel, while the serum, which is practically the skim milk, is conducted into another vessel. The machine which is used for this purpose is called a centrifugal cream separator. The following paragraphs are based upon the information derived from tests con- ducted at the experimental dairies, of which particulars are contained in the annual re- ports o.^ the Experimental Farms and Dairy Commissioner. fro tro CO' rei gr sei cr Fi w fa i: sc ii P ■« THE SETTING OF HILK. 1. All milk should be carefully strained immediately after the milking is com- pleted. 2. When shallow pans are used, they should be placed in a room with a pure at- mosphere, at a temperature as even as possible at between 50° and 60* Fahr. 3. When deep-setting pails are used, the water in the creamer or tank should Ije kept below 45° Fahr. or as near 45° Fahr. as is practicable. It is advantageous to have a supply of ice for use in the water. •i. When an abundant supply of cold water from a flowing spring is not available, the cooling power of fresh cold water may be applied economically by conveying it in a pipe to the bottom of the tank or creamer, and allowing the warmed water to run o£f DIREGTIONS FOR MAKiyo BUTTER 87 Stand- liles of float, milk whole [only & from the top. If the water be scarce, the overflow may be carried into a watering- trough for the live stock or th^^ farm. 5. It is advantageoyg to set the milk as soon as practicable after it is drawn from the cows. In a test with deep-setting pails, it was found that the quantity of butter fat not recovered in the cream, and consequently left in the skim-milk, was 11-48 per cent greater when the setting of the milk in ice water was delayed one hour, then it was set immediately after it was drawn. 6. There was not much difference in the percentage of butter-fat recovered into the cream, due to the temperature at which the milk was set* when between 88° and 98° Fahr. The loss of butter-fat unrecovered from the skim-milk was 2 '53 per cent greater when set at 78° than when set at 98° Fahr. 7. The milk should be left undisturbed for about 22 hours. The quantity of butter- fat not recovered into the cream was 8 per cent greater when the milk was set for only 11 hours than when it was set for 22 hours, in deop-setting pails in ice- water. 8. With ordinary milk, there is no gain from adding water " to thin it " when it is set. There was practically no difierence in the percentages of butter-f&t not recovered into the cream when, (1) 25 per cent of water at 160° Fahr. added to the milk, (2) 25 per cent of water at 60° Fahr. added to the milk, and (3) no water added to the milk, were the differences of treatment in th^ setting of milk, in deep-setting pails in ice water. CREAMING MILK FROM COWS CALVED MORE THAN SIX MONTHS. 9. The milk from cows which ha . e been milking more than six months does not yield its cream so readily as the milk from cows more recently calved. During the cold weather of autumn and winter, by the setting of milk (in deep- setting pails, in cold water, at a temperature of 38° to 40° Fahr., for 22 hours) from cows which had been milking for periods of from 6 to 12 months, about 33 per cent of the total quantity of butter-fat in the milk was left in the skim-milk. Where the milk of one fresh-calved cow was added to the milk of eight cows which had been milking for periods exceeding 6J months each, and the milk set as stated above, about 14 per cent of the total quantity of butter-fat in the milk was left in the skim-milk. When the milk of cows, which had been milking for periods of less than 6 months each, was set as stated above, fron\ 7 to 15 per cent of the total quantity of butter-fat in the milk N/as left in the skim-milk. During the autumn and winter when the milk from cows which had been milking for periods of more than 6 months each was set in shallow pans for 22 'lOurs, from 6 to 15 per cent of the total quantity of butter-fat in the milk was left in the skim milk. By the use of the centrifugal cream separator all the butter-fat in the milk, except about 3 per cent, of the total quantity, may be recovered into the cream, from the milk of cows at all stages of lactation and during all seasons of the year. SEPARATING CREAM BY THE CENTRIFUGAL METHOD. 10. The milk for the separator should be carefully strained and heated to a tem- perature of 80° or 85° Fahr. If it be used at a lowor temperature, the cream is apt to become thick and clotted in the separator. Cold milk has a greater density than milk at a higher temperature ; the higher the temperature up to 85° Fahr., the greater the efficiency of the separation of cream, all other conditions being equal. 11. Particular care should bj exercised to prevent the use of any bitter milk. If any appreciable quantity of bitter milk be mixed with the general supply, the result will bo a yield of butter which is likely to be more or less bitter in flavour. In very bad cases, the butter may become quite oily. These are both serious defects. 1 2. Where the heating and cooling conveniences a >-e rather limited, the milk may be separated at a temperature of 80° Fahr. ; but in thor o cases, the inflow of milk should MR. JA8. W. EOBERTSOy be lessened and be regulated according to the percentage of butter-fat which is discovered to be left in the skim milk. That should not exceed one-tenth of one per cent. The Babcock milk tester should be used every day to check the pei'centage of fat in the skim milk and in the buttermilk. For the testing of the skiTi milk, the sample should be composed of small quantities taken from the outflow of the separator at different times. 13. The efficiency of the separation of the cream depends largely upon the skill and management of the operator, although there are differences in the capacity and con- struction of the different centrifugal machines. The thoroughness of the separation of the fat into the cream depends mainly upon (1) the speed at which the separator is run (2) the temperature of the milk, and (3) the quantify of milk run through per hour. The operator should study carefully the instructions which are issued by the manufact- urer or agent of the separator which he uses. It is desirable that the separator be run at its inaxiinum speed, and that it be not exceeded. The separator should be set exact- ly level, and it should be kept so. Where belt machines are used, the belts should not be intensely tight ; and in setting up the machines and calculating the speed between the engine and the separator bowl, from 3 to 5 per cent should be allowed for slippage of belts. 14. When the quantity of cream to be separated can be regulated by a set-screw in the bowl, it should be set to allow from 14 to 16 per cent of the quantity of average milk to flow through the cream outlet. A good rule is to take off cream which contains from 20 to 25 pc cent of butter-fat, or cream which contains about one pound of butter to from 3^ to 5 pounds of cream. The set screw insido the machines should be loosened occasionally, to prevent it from becoming immovably set. sweet ture f< portio the sk THE RIPENING OF THE CREAM. it 15. The cream from the centrifugal separator should be cooled quickly after it is received from the machine. 16. The cream from the setting method should be kept cold and sweet until the quantity intended for one churning has been gathered. 17. The tempe"ature of the cream, when set to be ripened, may vary from 65 to 80 degrees Fahr. according to the season ; the higher temperature is used during the late fall and winter. 18. The temperature at which the cream is set for ripening should be maintained about six hours, during which time it may be stirred occasionally. After that, it should be left undisturbed until ripe for churning. No close cover over the cream vat need be used. A clean canvas cover is sufficient. Care should be taken to purify the canvas or other cover frequently. 19. " Fermentation starter " is the designation applied to the portion of fermented or sour milk, buttermilk or cream, which is added to the cream to ripen it for churning. The ripermg of the cream consists of the development of the ferment or ferments which are added to it, or which get into it from the atmosphere, from contact with vessels or utensils, or from other sources. 20. It is quite important that every butter-maker should have on hand a fermen- tation starter of pure clean flavour, and of a uniform smooth consistency. 21. The following is the way in which a culture of lactic ferment was made at the Central Experimental Farm dairy, from which " fermentation starters " were prepared : — A quantity of about two quarts of skim milk was heated to 205° Fahr. The tem- perature w,'i,3 maintained at that point for ten minutes ".fter which, and while exposed to the atmosphere of the butter-making room, it was cooled to 80° Fahr. It was left in a closed glass-stoppered bottle at the ordinary temperature of the dairy-room, from 60° to 70° Fahr. for Ave days. It was then found to be coagulated and to possess a mild pure lactic-acid flavour, which became more distinct after it had been kept in cold water at a temperature of 40° Fahr. for three days. That was the culture. The flavour of it was such as was characteristic of cream from which fine flavoured butter had always been obtained ; and " fermentation starters " for the ripening of cream were prepared from it. DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING BUTTER 29 in 22. A " fermentation starter " may be prepared from skim milk which is pure, sweet and free from taint. It should be heated to 150° Fahr. and left at that tempera- ture for ten minutes. It may then be cooled to a temperature of 80° Fahr., when a portion of the culture, as described above, at the rate of ten per cent of the quantity of the skim milk should be added to it. That becomes the " fermentation starter." 23. The " fermentation starter " should be left to ripen at a temperature not ex- ceeding 80° Fahr. for 20 hours. When the flavour and odour are distinctly acid, it should be placed in cold water at a temperature of 40° Fahr. in order to arrest a further development of the ferment. 24. The bacteria cultures for the making of " fermentation starters " may now be obtained also in the market from firms who deal in dairy supplies. 25. Where no undesirable flavour exists and no difficulty has been experienced in churning, some buttermilk oi pure, nice flavour may be used as a " fermentation starter " for the cream. If at any time the flavour of the butter seems to deteriorate from that method, a new " fermentation starter " should be secured, as described in paragraphs 21 and 22. 26. The " fermentation starter " may be added to the cream at the rate of from five to ten per cent of the quantity of cream. In any case where the cream has become somewhat tainted, if the taint be of fer- mentation origin, a larger .quantity than usual of the fermentation starter should be added. This may in a great measure check the development of the tamt and leave the particular fermentation of the starter which is added, to be the prevailing one ii. the cream and butter. 27. Tf for any reason it is desired to churn the ceream while sweet, the churning s'lOuld be commenced at a temperature of five to eight degrees colder than for the churning of sour cream. In all our examinations, the butter from sweet cream has been rated from two to three points lower in valuable commercial flavour than butter from a portion of the so'ne cream which had been ripened or soured. 28. Although it is usually not desirable that turnips should be fed to milking cows, when they are fed, thrt odour and flavour may be prevented from appearing in the butter. In a trial which was made frcm the milk of cows which were being fed the exces- sivf, quantity of 90 pounds of turnips per head per day, the odour and flavour oi turnips T,as not perceptible in the outf t which was made after the following treatment was given to the cream : — The cream was heaied at 150" Fahr. and stirred at that temperature for ten minutes while it was still sweet. It was afterwards cooled, ripened and churned in the usual way. A portion of the cream from the milk of the same cows was ripened and churned in the usual way without being heated above 68° Fahr. The butter obtained from the cream which was not heated above 68° Fahr. had a distinct odour and flavour of turnips ; while the butter obtained from the cream which was heated to 150° Fahr. was excellent in odour, flavour and grain, and was without any perceptible odour or flavour of turnips. From the cream heated to 150° Fahr. before being ripened for churning, eight- tenths of one pound less of milk was required to yield each pount' of butter, than from the cream from a portion of the same milk which was not heated above 68° Fahr. 20. It has not been found advantageous to thin the cream by adding a quantity of water to it before it is churned or before it is ripened. Quant'ties of water were added to cream at the different rates of 10, 20, 25 and 30 per cent of water added ; and the conclusions were that (1) the churning was slightly less efficient in the recovery of the butter-fat, (2) the quantity of marketable butter obtained per 100 pounds of milk was one ounce less, (3) the butter was not so firm or solid in the grain, and (4) the churning period at an equal temperature was longer by from one minute to thirty minutes, when water was added to the cream than when cream was churned without the addition of water. CHURNING. 30. The preferable degree of ripeness in the cream will be indicated by the following points, a mild, pleasant acid taste, a uniformly thick consistency, and a glossy appear- MR. JAS. W. ROBERTSON ance, somewhat like white oil paint. If not at the exact temperature desired for churn- ing, it should be cooled or warmed to that point, which may range from 54° to 58° Fahr, according to the season. It should be strained into the churn and the churn should not be filled to more than two-fifths of its capacity. 31. If butter colour is to be used, it should be added to the cream before the churning is commenced. 32. The regular speed of a factory revolving chum should be about 65 revolutions per minute ; and when butter granules are formed in the churn, a few gallons of weak brine (salt and water) should be added, to assist in the separation between the granules of butter and the buttermilk, and also to give a firmer body to the butter. 33. The churning should then be continued until the granules of butter become a little larger than clover seed. The buttermilk should then be drawn off and a quantity equal to the buttermilk, of pure cold water, at a temperature of from 50'' to 58° Fahr., accord- ing to the season, should be put into the churn, for the purpose of washing out the buttermilk from the butter granules. The churn should receive a few quick revolutions, and the water should be drawn oflf immediately. Attention to this is of some import- ance, as the water will contain more or less curdy matter, which, if allowed to settle on the sides of the churn, forms a film there, where it is apt to adhere to the butter when that settles gradually as the water is drawn oflf. 34. After the butter has been left to stand for some 20 lyinutes, it should be salted at the rate of from one-quarter of an ounce of salt per pound of butter, to one ounce of salt per pound of butter, according to the preferences of the market which is to be supplied. The very finest quality of pure butter salt only should be used. That which is of a uniform fineness of grain and velvety to the touch is suitable. 35. Care should be taken to prevent the salt from being exposed to an atmosphere that may leave on it impurities causing foul odours and taints, as these may readily be introduced into the butter by that means. b( oi w d w ii -A ■-:' !■■ THE WORKING OP THE BUTTER, • 36. After the butter is salted it should be left for 2 or 3 hours, to allow the salt to dissolve. Then, by a second working, the excess of moisture may be expelled, the salt thoroughly mixed, and any streakiness in colour corrected. Care must be taken that the butter be not overworked and made greasy. This may result from the butter being worked at a temperature either too high or too low. Where practicable, it should be worked at a temperature which leaves it in a waxy condition, causing it to bend about one-half towards the under layer when it is being doubled on the butter worker. A temperature of 50° Fahr. will usually put the butter in the best condition for being worked. Sometimes injury results from a larger quantity being placed on the butter worker than can be handled conveniently. PREPARING PACKAGES AND PACKING THE BUTTER 37. Where the butter packages are not tinned or paraffine lined, they should be filled with strong hot brine and left to soak for a day. The brine may be used several times if boiled each time. The insides of the packages should be lined with butter cloth or parchment paper — preferably the latter. The package will then be ready for filling. 38. In packing, the butter should be pressed against the side of the package, keeping it slightly hollow in the centre of the package, the object being to pack the butter so close to the side that no air spaces will be left between the butter and the package. These are often seen when a tub or box of butter is " stripped." Care must also be exercised in using the packer, not to move the butter more than is really necessary to make it compact. When the package is filled, the surface should be smoothed with a hardwood ladle or scraper, and then covered with fine butter cloth or .strong parchment paper. w DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING BUTTER 31 tie CLEANING THE UTENSILS. G9. In the washing of churns and all other vessels for milk or cream, they should first be rinsed with cold or tepid water. The addition of washing soda, or a small quantity ■of borax to the water, will increase its cleansing properties. They should then be washed with wai'm water, and scalded with water " boiling hot." The use of a brush for the cleansing of dairy utensils is much preferable to the use of a dishcloth. 40. All wooden utensils and vessels should be scalded, cooled and dipped into cold water before they are used. Small wooden utensils should be kept floating or immersed in cold water. 41. Where closed drains flow from a dairy or creamery, they should be flushed out occasionally with a strong solution of concentrated lye, followed by hot water. I certify this correct as an appendix to my evidence. JAS. W. ROBERTSON, Dairy Covimissioiier. : a