-SG STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



iiialttr wluit lluviiiilk product is. if it is <,'oo(l it fjoos upon tlic inarkot with its 

 individual chaiacloiistics. It is jud<;od as an individual lot and is sold as such. A 

 nmn without any individuality is always tho sanu> as other nion — so with milk products. 



Another encoura;,Mn<r feature may be added to the departure of haphazard and 

 oni|)irieal nu'thods of older days — it is the increase in number of pioneers wlio are now 

 niakinuf elVorts to overcome the faulty habits under which we have developed. These 

 l)ionc(rs are nuikin^ a success of their ventures, and as time jj;oes on this success will 

 come more cheaply. They have demonstrated in a practical way the uselessness of 

 quibbling over what is known to be erroneous. The cry which usually sprinjjs forth 

 with the mention of these successful dairymen ])recludes any rational basis upon which 

 to found jud,<,nnent. The fact that some ca])italists have built up some of the model 

 dairies as a diversion, places a !>raud u])on the entire scheme for certain unpro;,nessive 

 t.vpes, but fortunately many model dairies furnish the only source of revenue to 

 their owners. The first model dairy may have been an innovation, but the increasing 

 numbers must of necessity soon lead to a practical adjustment. One of the most 

 serious drawbacks to projjrcssive dairying is the too comnum notion that the old ways 

 are pood enoufj^h, that the new are impossible and impracticable. A "golden fleece" 

 on the back of the sheep will be necessary to sustain the running operations of the 

 dairy, is a pitiful belief, for it signifies that such an individual's ideals are what he is 

 and not what he should be. 



There is much imj)ortancc to be given to the ])resent management or sales in first 

 grade dairies. Tlius far private customers have been found in suflicient numbers to 

 consume all the best dairy products at very remunerative prices. The number has not 

 yet been exhausted : moreover it is fair to suppose that the demand for higher grade 

 dairy goods will increase instead of diminish, ('oiisun)ers are gradually learning the 

 value of purity in food, and no one can better teach them the difference between w^hat is 

 pure and what is polluted than the jirodue'Ts themselves bv a svs'e^iatic educition. 

 Of course there will be those people who will pay one cent per quart less to obtain 

 diluted filth rather than secure pure milk, and this in spite of any educational ad- 

 vantages ofi'cred them. There are all stages of development in the world and we must 

 not become discouraged because the ape does not speak. 



The preceding remarks may not partake of the teachings which ought to emanate 

 from a bacteriologist or hygienist, yet they are the questions which must first be 

 answered before the dairyman is willing to consider bacteriological or hygienic prob- 

 lems. Although these problems of purity should be first in the mind of every milk 

 producer, unfortunately, however, they have ahvays been considered last, to the great 

 detriment of mankind. 



It is not the wish of the writer to draw lurid pictures of the hygienic and bac- 

 teriological environments of some dairies which have come under his observation, or 

 to depict existing conditions on a large per cent of farms, devoted to some extent to 

 dairying, for the purpose of sensationalism; it is rather his intention to state in plain 

 language what is known to almost every farmer, that the lessons to be gained there- 

 from may be immediately applicable. What follows is the result of the author's per- 

 sonal observation in the bacteriological and hygienic investigations of dairies and 

 stables. 



1. A visit to.A'a stable, which represents our first type of dairy operations, was 

 made with the intention of studying the condition of the stable, the cows and the 

 manner of miking. A kept two cows, but these two cows stand for many in larger 

 dairies, in a stable constructed in a very loose manner and just large enough to accom- 

 modate the cows' and a single horse. A part of the milk obtained from the cows 

 was sold for household purposes, making the investigation of especial interest. The 

 floor of the barn was covered with at least six inches of manure, which had evidently 

 been accumulating for some time. The bedding consisted of coarse corn stalks. The 

 cows' hind quarters were plastered over with a cnke of manure at least tluce-(|u:'rtcrs 

 of an inch thick. This condition extended along the bellies of the cows nearly as far as 

 the sho\ilders. The hair was long on the udder and at the ends of many of the hairs 

 were attached various sized lumps of manure. The teats contained scales of dry 

 manure. The cows were poor and received only corn stalks. There was sufficient light 

 and air in the stable. No exercise was allowed the cows, which remained in the stable 

 a good shave of the year. 



In milking the man gave no attention to his person or hands. He simply brushed 

 off the udder in a sweeping motion, placed the pail underneath the cow, milked with 

 one hand into the other held over the pail, the surplus milk running through his 

 fingers into the pail, then reversed hands and did the same. His hands were thoroughly 



