156 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



after it is milked. It is usually contaminated during the vari- 

 ous processes of handling and proper care is necessary to 

 reduce this contamination to the minimum. In an up-to-date 

 dairy the flanks and udder of the cows are brushed before 

 milking and wiped with a damp cloth to remove any loose 

 particles of dirt that may be there. The hands of the milkers 

 are clean and are kept dry during the milking process. Precau- 

 tions are taken to prevent dust from circulating in the air dur- 

 ing the period of milking and the utensils used are thoroughly 

 cleaned, sterilized and properly aired before being used. As 

 soon as the milk is drawn from the cow it is taken at once from 

 the stable and immediately cooled, then either put in bottles 

 for delivery to customers or placed in cans preparatory to ship- 

 ping to the distributing plant in the city. If it is to be kept over 

 night on the farm, it is usually placed in a tank of ice water to 

 keep it cold and is protected from all contaminating influences. 

 If milk is shipped in cans to the distributor in the city it should 

 be carefully examined when received, and unless it was pro- 

 duced under conditions known to be safe it should be thor- 

 oughly pasteurized in order to retard souring and to kill any 

 pathogenic germs which may be present. After being heated 

 it should be thoroughly cooled, then bottled for delivery. If 

 the producer and the distributor have done their work properly 

 then the customer receives each morning a bottle of clean, 

 cold, pure milk but this does not necessarily insure a wholesome 

 product when it is consumed, since it may become contami- 

 nated after being opened by the consumer. Very often the 

 housewife has no ice or other means of cooling the milk and 

 occasionally it is allowed to undergo changes before being used, 

 which render it unwholesome. Often it is placed in a refriger- 

 ator used for other foods which impart a disagreeable flavor 

 and while it may not be rendered unwholesome it does become 

 unpalatable. Probably flies are the most dangerous source of 

 contamination of milk in the home as they often make it unsafe 

 for use, especially for children. Milk should be placed where 

 it will keep cool immediately after delivery and it should never 

 be allowed to set where the rays of the sun will strike it. If 

 placed in a refrigerator it should be in a compartment directly 

 under the ice as cold air settles. Milk which has been exposed 



