No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 259 



dition is a vital question. Milk should always be hauled in covered 

 wagons, in order that it may be better protected from the sun and 

 dust. Jackets for the cans made of felt, or some other non-conduct- 

 ing material, are recommended. Milk cans with umbrella tops are 

 to be preferred to those with funnel top, since there is less surface 

 on which the dust may collect. The cans of milk should not be left 

 in the sun^ on the railroad platform. 



Precautions must always be taken to prevent the development 

 of the germs always present in the milk. Although these germs 

 may be destroyed by heat, or removed by mechanical means, these 

 processes can never take the place of careful handling and of sanitary 

 barn condition. The old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a 

 pound of cure," cannot be too often impressed upon those who han- 

 dle milk. Greater care is required in the handling of milk for city 

 trade than in handling it either for butter or cheesemaking. It must 

 not be thought from this that good cheese or even good butter can 

 be made as easily from impure as from clean milk. 



Milk should never be handled any more than is absolutely nec- 

 essary, as handling, however careful, always increases the liability 

 of contamination. For this reason it is well to get the milk bottled 

 as soon as possible. The best classes of milk are always bottled 

 on the farm. The practice of bottling milk on the farm and ship- 

 ping the bottled product to the city is to be recommended where- 

 ever it is possible to follow it. This, however, will increase the ex- 

 pense and the cost of milk to the consumer^ as the transportation 

 charges on the bottled milk and the empty bottles are much greater 

 than that on milk in cans. The bottled milk requires more care in 

 handling and the loss of broken bottles is greater than it is when 

 the milk is bottled by the dealer. 



STABLING. 



With the care of the milk is intimately associated the care of the 

 cows. Ideal conditions should be maintained as far as possible. 



Bar7iyard: Some form of yard for exercising the cows daily is 

 desirable. The care of the stable begins with the care of this yard. 

 It should approach as nearly as possible to a clean, open field or pas- 

 ture; it need not necessarily be large, but it should be well-drained 

 and must be kept clean. It is a mistake to exercise the cows in the 

 manure yard. It increases the work required for keeping them clean 

 and the cows will have a tendency to eat the bedding which has been 

 hauled out with the manure. 



If the cows have a dry, light, comfortable place for exercising, 

 they are better off outside for several hours during the day. If on 

 the other hand, it is necessary for them to wade through mud to 

 their knees during the fall and spring, and shiver around in the 



