New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 



9" 



The possibility of taking a sample direct from the udder which 

 would give a satisfactory measure of the bacteria present and 

 at the same time reduce the danger of outside contamination 

 to the minimum was tested by milking into sterile test tubes at 

 the beginning, the middle and at the close of the milking process. 

 These samples were obtained from five cows on six successive days 

 and the results of the counts summarized in Table II. 



Table II. — Comparison of Bacterial Content at Beginning, Middle and End 



of Milking. 



Remark. — Letters R. F., R. B., etc., indicate, respectively, the right front, right back, left 

 front and left back quarter of udder. 



The results from these 360 samples accord with the observation 

 of Stocking 12 in that those at the middle of the milking contain a 

 smaller number of germs than those taken either toward the 

 beginning or at the close of the process. 



The average germ content of the entire 360 samples was 306 per 

 cc. The averages for the three successive sets of samples were 

 458, 187 and 27-i respectively. From this it is seen that the 

 average number of germs in the strippings, 274, was much more 

 nearly equal to the grand average, 306, than the average from 

 either of the other sets of samples. The agreement between these 

 two numbers is reasonably close. 



The accuracy of the samples of strippings as a measure of the 

 germ content of the udder was further tested by examining 



12 Stocking, W. A. Quality of milk as affected bv common dairy practices. 

 Conn. (Storrs) Agr. Exp. Sta. Ann. Rpt. 18 ( 1906) : 66-90. 1907. 



