Some basic information about raw milk from the farms.
Cans, usually 10 gallon cans.
(1.)Milk was placed in the cans using a strainer/cloth type filter to eliminate as much dirt as possible. Milking machines were vacuum can type equipment, similar equipment, more elaborate with a pipe line in the milking area, evolved.
(2.) Cooling was done by ice bank, refrigerate water. The cans, with the milk, were stored in these chest type refrigerators, usually only over night, milk was taken to the Creamery (local) every day.
(3.) Taken to the creamery usually early in the day, I remember doing the milk run, as a teenager, and making school after drop off.
(4.) There was double the number of cans needed, since one set of can was being filled, while the other was being delivered. Two milkings, morning, evening per set of cans delivered.
(5.) The dump station at the creamery was usually on an upper level. There was a tank/scale receiver vessel. Milk was sold by the pound/ 100 pound increments . Each milk producer had their own cans, with their number painted on the cans and the lids. Most cans were galvanized, you didn't see stainless steel shipping can until very late in that type of transportation. All the milking equipment eventually was stainless steel.
(6.) Test samples of the milk were taken from each can. Butter fat content was taken and used to determine the value of the milk. Higher Butter fat, higher price. Milk was also checked for bacteria count and antibiotics. Constant High bacteria, could cause the milk producer to be rejected/shut off. Any antibiotics also had serious consequences.
(7.) I remember $10 to $11 dollars per 100 wt. of milk. (5 cans) a day, 80 pounds per can 400lbs $40 dollars a day.
Bulk tank at the farm
(1.) Tank is a refrigerated stainless steel container. I don't remember any glass lined equipment or tanks. Early galvanized cans, as I mentioned. Eventually galvanized and lead seam equipment was discontinued for welded stainless steel.
(2.) Milk was added through a port in the top covers of the tank, from the can type milking machines, or a pipeline system.
(3.) There was a cloth mesh filter system. These filters were changed every milking.
(4.) The tank was installed level and had a calibrated measure stick that was used to determine the number of pounds of milk in the tank. The tank measuring system was certified as accurate.
(5.) Truck pick-up at the farm was every other day or three days. Different from the daily can delivery to the creamery.
(6.) A milk sample was taken from the tank to be tested for butter fat content, bacteria and antibiotics, as mentioned before. The bulk milk truck driver was responsible for this procedure, along with recording the weight of the milk received, and the tank temperature.
(7.) Note that bulk pickup tankers were not refrigerate, though the added milk was cool to the high 30 degrees.
(8.) The pump to load the milk was on the truck. There was a hose that hooked to a threaded port on the farm tank, A valve was opened on the farm tank, and the truck pump was plugged to a 240 volt outlet on the exterior wall of the milk house.
(9.) Empty farm tank would be cleaned before the next milking.
(10.) Farm tank was one of the few places in todays world you could see the separated cream on top of the milk, though the tank had a stirring, agitation system.
(11.) My guess is that these farm pick-up bulk trucks were with in 100 miles of the processing plants. Easily Pittsburgh, Erie or Eastern Ohio from anywhere Western Pa.
You would have to figure it from there to the trains.
Edit add:: Interstate highways approached completion, at least here in Western PA, by the mid 1970's. It is amazing how we take this travel system for granted. It had to effect milk, a perishable commodity, transportation. 100 mile or more per day transportation, even in the 1950, was way different, and dictated a lot of local processing and manufacturing/ the local Creamery.
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