Historical information

A separator is a centrifugal device that separates milk into cream and skimmed milk. Separation was commonly performed on farms in the past where farmers milked a few cows, usually by hand, and separated by letting milk sit in a container until the cream floated to the top when it could be skimmed off by hand. Some of the skimmed milk was consumed while the rest was used to feed calves and pigs. Enough cream was saved to make butter, and the excess was sold.
Manual rotation of the separator handle turns a mechanism which causes the separator bowl to spin at thousands of revolutions per minute.
When spun, the heavier milk is pulled outward against the walls of the separator and the cream, which is lighter, collects in the middle. The cream and milk then flow out of separate spouts.
Montgomery Ward was founded by Aaron Montgomery Ward in 1872.as a mail-order business in Chicago, Illinois USA. Rural customers were attracted by the wide selection of items that were unavailable to them locally and were also inspired by the innovative company policy of "satisfaction guaranteed or your money back".

Significance

This milk separator is typical of the type used by early settlers in Moorabbin Shire where every family owned a 'house cow' to supply their dairy needs. Households also kept a few chickens for eggs and developed a vegetable garden with additional fruit trees.

Physical description

A 'primrose' manual milk separator 'Montgomery Ward', Chicago USA c1900

Inscriptions & markings

'primrose ' / SATTLEY / MONTGOMERY WARD/ CHICAGO