68 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



rHOTOGRAni 3 



the niilker to the milk and epidemics of serious nature are thus started. 

 Not least in importance is the universal presence of flies in cow barns. 

 Flies may act as carriers of disease germs and should be kept out of 

 barns as much as possible. It is true, that when entering barns the 

 cows are bound to carrj^ some flies with them, but by careful screening 

 and by cleanliness of the floors and walls the number can be reduced to 

 a minimum. 



Such is the food we consume every day, such is the food which we 

 depend upon for bringing up our babies, if the mother is unable or 

 unwilling to nurse her offspring. A careful mother will clean the bottle, 

 which serves to carry the food for the baby. The farmer thinks his 

 duty is done if he washes the milk pails and other utensils with ordinary 

 cold water. The water is sometimes obtained from wells situated in 

 dangerous proximity to the outhouse, or from streams which carry sew- 

 age from neighboring farms or settlements. After washing the re- 

 ceiving pails in a careless manner there is enough milk left in them to 

 cause disagreeable odors, but, nevertheless, the fresh milk is drawn into 

 these vessels. 



Milk is destined by nature to feed the young of mammals. They 

 suck it directly from the teats and the danger of dirt being taken with 

 the milk is comparatively small. But we take the milk from the cow 

 under artificial conditions and have to use precautions and safeguards 

 to prevent dirt from being mixed with the milk. The " cowey taste" 

 sometimes innocently supposed to be characteristic of fresh milk, is due 

 to nothing but cow manure, Avhich has been suspended and become part 

 of the milk during the process of milking. It has been estimated that 

 the population of large cities consume hundreds of pounds of cow 

 manure daily with milk. 



