The Rotolactor is the first invention for milking a large number of cows successively and largely automatically, using a rotating platform. It was developed by the

Borden Company Borden, Inc., was an American producer of food and beverage products, consumer products, and industrial products. At one time, the company was the largest U.S. producer of dairy and pasta products. Its food division, Borden Foods, was based in ...

in 1930, and is known today in the dairy industry as the "rotary milking parlor".

History

The Rotolactor was the first invention for milking a large number of cows using a rotating platform. It was invented by Henry W. Jeffers. The Rotolactor was initially installed in a "lactorium," a building specifically designed for milking cows, in

Plainsboro, New Jersey Plainsboro Township is a township in Middlesex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region and is a part of the outer-ring suburbs of the New York metropolitan area even though it is ...

. The rotating mechanical milking machine was first used by the Walker-Gordon Laboratories dairy and was put into operation on November 13, 1930. Jeffers conceived the idea for the Rotolactor in 1913 as a cost-cutting and labor-saving method for milking a large number of cows. Development of the project was put on hold during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1928, the Walker-Gordon Laboratories dairy was purchased by the Borden Company, and Rotolactor development resumed in earnest. Borden provided $200,000 in 1929 for building the Rotolactor at the Walker-Gordon Laboratories dairy farm.

Description

The first line of the Abstract of the 1930 Cow Milking Apparatus (Rotolactor) patent starts:

"The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus whereby an indefinitely large number of cows may be milked successively and largely automatically..."

The Rotolactor (''

roto ''Roto'', f. ''rota'', (literally "torn" or "broken") is a term used to refer to Chilean people and in particular to the common Chilean. In Chile from the start of the 20th century it was applied with a negative classist connotation to poor ci ...

'' + '' lactor'' ium) was a large rotating " merry-go-round" style platformFrandsen, p. 690 "Milking Parlor" for holding 50 cows. The machine brought the cows into position for milking with automatic milking machines. The rotating platform machine was sixty feet in diameter and made one complete revolution about every twelve and a half minutes, which was the time required to prepare and milk each cow. The first step for each new cow was receiving a bath. They were bathed with warm water and automatic showers, supplemented by two men using pressure hoses, who "devote their attention to the cleansing of

udder An udder is an organ formed of two or four mammary glands on the females of dairy animals and ruminants such as cattle, goats, and sheep. An udder is equivalent to the breast in primates and elephantine pachyderms. The udder is a single mass han ...

s and flanks." The next operator prepared the udder for the milking. Then the teat-cups of the automatic milking machine were attached to the cow's udder. The cow was then milked for the twelve and a half minutes during the Rotolactor's one-time complete rotation. The teat-cups would then be detached at the end of the twelve and a half minute rotation. The cow would then step off the platform and return to the barn to her stall. The milk was drawn by a vacuum to sealed glass containers above the cow's head. It was then transported in pipes to weighing and recording apparatuses. Then it was piped to another room where the milk was cooled and bottled. This was faster and more efficient than the methods previously used. Human hands never touched the milk, and the milk never came into contact with air, which was important to prevent premature spoiling. The Rotolactor could milk the Walker-Gordon dairy's 1,680 cows three times daily. This produced 26,000 quarts of milk. The August 1931 issue of the ''American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health'' described the Rotolactor as an advance in cleanliness and

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

for milk production.

Legacy

The Rotolactor and the Walker-Gordon farm in Plainsboro became popular tourist attractions, showcasing the unusual and modernistic features of the dairy. The farm building in Plainsboro containing the Rotolactor had an observation room to accommodate visitors, including large groups of school children. A 1930 film was titled: "New Jersey. 'The Rotolactor' - hygiene's latest - automatically washing and milking 50 cows at one time in 12 1/2 minutes - inaugurated by Mr.

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

." The Rotolactor was also featured at the 1939 New York World's Fair in the Borden’s exhibit. The dairy operation at the Walker-Gordon farm ended on June 18, 1971. As of 2013, a working Rotolactor is open to the public as a part of the "Dairy Adventure" tour at Fair Oaks Farms in

Fair Oaks, Indiana Fair Oaks is an unincorporated community in Union Township, Jasper County, Indiana. History Fair Oaks was made a station on the railroad built through that territory in the early 1880s. The Fair Oaks post office was established in 1884. Geogr ...

. There is also a working Rotolactor open to the public in Caldermeade, Victoria, Australia.

References

Bibliography

* Kane, Joseph Nathan (1997), ''Famous First Facts, A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in American History'' (Fifth Edition), The H.W. Wilson Company, * * Frandsen, Julius Herman, (1958), ''Dairy Handbook and Dictionary'', publisher - Torvald A. Bertinuson *

External links