Thirty-sixth Annual 'Convention 96] 



tested and the other for milk from herds which are not tuberculin 

 tested ; the former is the only milk which is shipped out in the raw 

 state, all of the latter is thoroughly pasteurized at the station. The 

 station is completely equipped with the most modern apparatus 

 for pasteurizing", cooling, bottling and shipping milk, and also has 

 a complete equipment for w^ashing and sterilizing the milk bottles, 

 washing, sterilizing and drying milk cans and washing, sterilizing 

 and drying milking pails. One of the rooms is set aside for a 

 laboratory and equipped with apparatus for testing milk for but- 

 ter fat and for bacteria. 



The bacteria test is considered to be the most important work 

 carried out at the station laboratory. Bacteria and dirt are such 

 close companions that it is well recognized that one is rarely, if 

 ever, present without the other. The numbers of bacteria in milk 

 indicate cleanliness in the opinion of the leading milk experts. 

 They also show whether milk is old and whether it has been prop- 

 erly refrigerated. The morning's milk and the night's milk of 

 each dairy farmer are tested for the numbers of bacteria present. 

 The results of these tests are posted on a large bulletin board which 

 hangs on the outside of the building, so that each dairy farmer 

 may read the results of the tests of his own milk as well as the re- 

 sults of the milk of all the others. Their interest in this bulletin 

 board is not mere curiosity, but is stimulated by the fact that the 

 size of their monthly check for milk depends upon the results of 

 the laboratory test. The man having a small number of bacteria 

 in his milk receives more money than the man having large num- 

 bers of bacteria. 



The use of the small-mouthed milking pails contributes more, 

 perhaps, than any other one thing to the reduction of bacteria and 

 the cleanliness of the milk. Pails having a mouth five inches in 

 diameter and made all in one piece are used. There are no strain- 

 ers in these pails, but the mouth is so tilted that the opening is 

 almost vertical when milking is performed. Objections which 

 were raised during the first few weeks by the dairy farmers and 

 their hired help against the use of these pails have now entirely 

 disappeared, due to the fact that only a little practice is necessary 

 to milk easily through such a small opening. 



A number of other investigators have had some experience with 

 3 



