148 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



animal, as well as with the acid forming bacteria, that are ever 

 present in a stable. Dust from the hay carries molds in addi- 

 tion. Dirt from the hands of the milker carries bacteria from 

 ever3'thing that the milker has handled since washing, and, if 

 he is not in good health or has infections disease, the dirt car- 

 ries these specific bacteria into the milk. The milk pails, if 

 they are not scalded before use and dried in a clean place, will 

 contain many acid forming bacteria in the uneven seams, which 

 have come from the previous milkings; and, if they have been 

 washed in polluted water, they may carry the germs of infec- 

 tious disease. All of these bacteria, once they have entered the 

 milk, find favoring conditions for growth and multiplication. 

 Unless the milk is pasteurized, all that can be done, after the 

 bacteria have entered it, is to keep down their multiplication by 

 keeping the milk cold. Once refrigeration is removed they be- 

 gin to multiply, and will cause souring or disease as the case 

 may be. 



The intestinal bacteria from the cow are the cause of most of 

 the infantile diarrhoeas and colics, classed as "summer com- 

 plaint." If the cow have intestinal tuberculosis these bacteria 

 will be eliminated in the fecal matters, and may thus find their 

 way into the milk with the manure dust, during milking. If the 

 milker or the handler of the milk be an incubation case of 

 typhoid fever, or a walking case, or a convalescent case, or if 

 he have tuberculosis or any other infectious disease, he is almost 

 sure to infect the milk, with the production of an epidemic of 

 the disease on the milk route. 



How great is this latter danger is shown by an editorial in 

 the Xew Orleans "Picayune" for Nov. 3, 191 1, in which it is 

 stated that, since the necessity of protection of our public water 

 supplies has been recognized, in our cities for ever}- case of 

 infectious disease due to water ten cases are caused by infected 

 milk. 



The bacteria from the above mentioned sources can be ex- 

 cluded from the milk, wholly or in large part. Disease bacteria 

 can be entirely excluded. In the first place we must, as before 

 stated, have an absolutely healthy cow as the source of our sup- 

 uly. Next we must have entirely healthy persons to handle the 

 milk, which is to be obtained from such a cow. A person who 

 is ill, however mildly, with infectious disease, or who is in 

 attendance on a case of such disease, and who in any way 



