No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 447 



DAIRY BACTERIOL.OGL.Y. 



Now dou'l gut frightened. I don't mean that you shall learu 

 the names of the various bacteria. Why bacteriologists can not 

 call these organisms by decent Christian names is truly a mystery 

 to me. Just think of calling an organism, a pigmy so small that 

 ten thousand could easily roost on the point of a pin, I say, think of 

 naming such a mite Oranulobacillus sacchai^ohutyrsGus immohilis li- 

 guefaciens. 1 will not attempt to pronounce it. I asked an au- 

 thority to pronounce it for me, but he. declined, stating that the last 

 time he tried he dislocated his jaw, while another volunteered a trial 

 but got only half way through when his tongue tied itself into a 

 knot, and of course I never learned how to pronounce it. The bac- 

 teria that tries to fight its way through the world, and especially 

 through our butter, with this awful name attached is merely the 

 organism that developes the strength of the butter spoken about in 

 the beginning of this paper. Reasoning from analogy, it doubt- 

 less is strong enough to carry its name, had we only a Russian 

 tongue to pronounce it. As a matter of self-defence, I would move 

 and second the motion and declare it carried, that any bacteriolo- 

 gist, who in the future gives any common every day bacteria such 

 an abominable name, be promptly tried and executed. 



From the time the milk leaves the udder until the butter is used 

 by the consumer, we must constantly be on the lookout to avoid the 

 deleterious bacteria, and encourage those that are helpful to us. 

 The chief source of troublesome bacteria is uncleauliness. The 

 stable is foul, the cows have a lot of filth and manure adhering to 

 their bodies. The milker's hands are not overly clean and then he 

 will declare he can not milk dry and dips his hands into the milk 

 pail with the dirt dripping into the milk. Sometimes the milking 

 coat has not been washed for some months or years, and that con- 

 tains bacteria enough to contaminate all the milk drawn in the 

 United States. If we would make good butter, it is absolutely 

 necessary to keep the stable clean. Clean it out daily and disinfect 

 it frequently. The cows should be groomed regularly, and before 

 milking, every cow's udder and flanks should be brushed, wiped 

 and moistened. 



The milker should be clean and tidy, and the dairy utensils must 

 be kept absolutely clean and sweet. During the summer when our 

 cows go to pasture they often look clean, and we become careless, 

 but frequently we have more trouble during this season of the 

 year than any other time. If the cows have access to watery or 

 swampy places, their udders often become coated with material 

 that carries the worst kinds of bacteria. Then, too, the tempera- 

 ture is so favorable for their development. Just as soon as the 



