176 AGRICULTURE OF* MAINE. 



and cans. In the milk room the chances for pollution by bac- 

 terial dirt far exceed those from grit, dust and manure. In 

 the condition of the milk dishes lies the secret of many an epi- 

 demic of ropy, slimy, quick souring and colored milks. Unless 

 the pails and cans have all the seams soldered smooth with the 

 surface, and unless the most scrupulous care is taken to see that 

 the vessels are washed not only clean, but absolutely clean, we 

 shall find veritable cultures of starters of all sorts of bacteria,, 

 which have grown in the organic material left about the crevices 

 and joints of the pails by the former milk. Material from a 

 depression in the solder of one milk pail gave 25,000,000 bacte- 

 ria per ounce of the sediment. Also there is the chance for bac- 

 teria from milk that has been splashed out of a vessel dropping 

 into milk later placed on a lower shelf, and several cases of 

 slimy and ropy milk epidemics have been recorded from this 

 cause. 



In addition to this an entirely new element enters here. I 

 refer to the water supply. It is well known that water is some- 

 times contaminated with disease bacteria. It is often contam- 

 inated with other organisms, which, while they do not produce 

 disease, do cause colors and other milk troubles. It is not nec- 

 essary to actually add water to a milk to get the water bacteria 

 into it. The water that is used to wash the milk dishes will 

 leave many of the water bacteria in the dish, even when the wa- 

 ter has drained or dried out. The troubles from this source 

 will be taken up later in more detail. It is enough to here note 

 that the water will be the source not of solid filth but of bac- 

 terial dirt. 



Here also enters the chance for similar pollution of the milk 

 and the milk dishes by workers who are either sick, or are in at- 

 tendance on the sick. The milk epidemics of typhoid have more 

 often started from pollution of the milk by handling by persons 

 who have been in attendance on the sick, than by water contam- 

 inated by the sick themselves. 



Before leaving the milk room the fact should be noted that 

 the practice of creameries in distributing cans at random may, 

 unless the cans have been first really sterilized, result in spread- 

 ing epidemics of diseased and ropy and slimy milk among all of 

 the patrons, if such a case occurs on one farm. Sterilization by 

 live steam is not too much to ask of the creamery. It will do 



