Gas and Taint in Cheese Curd. 233 



thus becoming a constant source of contamination. When this 

 takes place, immediate relief does not follow the cleansing of the 

 stable, but such treatment if continued will probably be efficient. 



8. After thorough!}^ disinfecting the stable and putting it in 

 a clean condition, the milk of each cow should be tested, and the 

 milk of those animals found to be infected should be kept out of 

 the vat until the normal condition is restored. 



Preverition. — In the light of the present knowledge of the 

 infection of milk with gas producing bacteria, the best prevent- 

 ive measure seems to be cleanliness, keeping the cows themselves 

 and the stable clean. It is highly important not to have in the 

 stable or about the yard any decomposing animal matter. If 

 there is trouble with retained placentas at the time of parturition, 

 the cows should be properly attended, the membranes removed 

 and disinfectants applied. If these precautions are taken and the 

 same care exercised in cleansing the milk utensils, it is highly 

 probable that a general infection would not take place. Although 

 the method has been reported by a German experimenter, the 

 disinfecting of the milk ducts by washing them out with a suit- 

 able germicide through the aid of the milking tube has not been 

 successful in our hands. 



The proper care of the animals, the keeping of the stable in a 

 clean, wholesome condition and the occasional use of disinfec- 

 tants'!^ cannot be too urgenth' recommended as prophylactic 

 measures. 



* Of the cheap disinfectants the following is very efficient. It is quite 



corrosive, and care should be taken to protect the eyes and the hands from 



accidental splashing : 



Crude carboUc acid Yz gallon. 



Crude sulphuric acid ^ gallon. 



" These two substances should be mixed in tubs or glass vessels. The 

 sulphuric acid is very slowly added to the carbolic acid. During the mixing 

 a large amount of heat is developed. The disinfecting power is heightened 

 if the amount of heat is kept down by placing the tub or demijohn con- 

 taining the carbolic acid in cold water, while the sulphuric acid is being 

 added. The resulting mixture is added to water in the ratio of i to 20. 

 One gallon of mixed acid will thus furnish 20 gallons of a stroug disinfect- 

 ing solution, having a slightly milky appearance. The mixture should be 

 applied to the walls and floors of the stable, saturating them with it." 



A 5 per cent solution of commercial sulphuric acid can be used. This is 

 desirable as it is free from the objectionable odor of the crude carbolic acid. 



