state Dairy Association. 95 



THE ECONOMICAL PRODUCTION OF CERTIFIED MILK. 



(B. D. White, Washington, D. 0.) 



The word "certified" may be new to many of you as it is ap- 

 plied to milk . To give you a comprehensive idea of what is meant 

 by certified milk, I will say it is simply milk and nothing else ; pure, 

 clean, sweet milk, free from foreign matter, and practically free 

 from bacteria. A standard of purity has been established in sev- 

 eral states describing just how pure and how free from bacteria 

 milk must be to be allowed the use of the name "certified." In 

 order to use this name one must have the 0. K. of the medical so- 

 ciety in the county in which the milk is being sold. The medical 

 society of a county form a milk commission, which is composed of 

 members (physicians) who have given the subject of pure milk 

 more or less attention. This commission is composed of a chairman, 

 secretary and several willing boosters ; men who are willing to' de- 

 vote some time without remuneration. This commission formu- 

 lates rules under which milk is produced. These rules read some- 

 thing like the following : 



1. A bacteriologist in the employ of the Board of 



Health shall procure a specimen of the milk from the dairy or 

 preferably from the delivery wagons at intervals to be arranged 



upon between the commission and the board of health, but 



in no case at a longer interval than one month. The exact time of 

 the procuring shall be without previous notice to the dairyman. 

 Milk thus collected shall be tested as to the number and nature of 

 the bacteria present. The milk shall also be examined microscopi- 

 cally for the presence of pus cells or other objectionable extraneous 

 substances. Milk free from pus and injurious germs and not hav- 

 ing more than ten thousand germs of any kind or kinds to the cubic 

 centimeter -shall be considered up to the required standard of purity. 



2. A chemist in the employ of the Board of Health 



shall make analysis of the milk to determine the percentage of pro- 

 teids, fat, sugar, mineral rnatter and water present, at similar in- 

 tervals as those prescribed for the bacteriologist. Test shall also 

 be made for the chemical reaction and specific gravity, as also for 

 the presence of foreign coloring or other matters or chemicals 

 added as preservatives. 



Standard milk shall have a specific gravity ranging from 1.029 

 to 1.034, shall be neutral or faintly acid in reaction, shall contain 



