206 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



As far as tuberculosis is concerned, the economic gain to 

 the dairy industry by eradicating bovine tuberculosis is going 

 to be so great that I, for one, am confident that within the next 

 generation or two the dairymen themselves are going to solve 

 this question by eradicating the disease from American herds. 



The most practical answer to the general problem now seems 

 to be : Produce milk as clean as possible to protect infants 

 from infantile diarrhea due to filth in milk, then pasteurize it 

 properly, i. e., under official supervision, to kill the human dis- 

 ease germs that otherwise are always liable to get into milk by 

 accident. Pasteurization saves lives and therefore this is an 

 extremely important question. 



Another practical and possible procedure along this same 

 line is extension of sanitary supervision as to health of em- 

 ployees in the dairy industry by the health authorities. 



Another practical step is segregation of milk according to 

 different grades, with a higher price for guaranteed milk. Then, 

 customers when buying inferior, dirty milk, and, hence, possibly 

 dangerous milk, must do so with their eyes open. 



Scaring people by foolish and unfair statements on the part 

 of health authorities will never solve the milk problem. The 

 milk industry is a great industry — it is a great public health 

 problem as well. The dairy producer is entitled to a square 

 deal as, after all, milk with all its faults is the greatest and most 

 useful of foods and returns the greatest amount of food value 

 at the lowest price, and greater use of milk should be en- 

 couraged. 



