FIFTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK^PART VII 477 



caring for the cream in the best possible manner after it arrives at the 

 plant. This false accusation has led many good operators to leave the 

 creameries and seek employment at other places. 



The real source of the undesirable odors and flavors in butter is on the 

 farm. In many instances the farmers are entirely unaware of the con- 

 ditions under which they are producing milk. They fail to consider how 

 every other food product is produced compared to the average farm. If we 

 would visit a candy factory and see the maker mixing candy in a tub 

 surrounded by manure and a loose ceiling, through which the dust could 

 sift and drop into the candy, we would immediately denounce the product 

 as unfit for consumption, while milk and cream produced under the same 

 conditions is used to drink without a thought to its contamination. 



Milk is one of the best foods we have, if it is clean; but it is one of 

 the poorest foods if not cared for properly. When drawn from the cow, 

 it is at a temperature of about 85° F.,, which is very favorable for the 

 growth and multiplication of bacteria that are the cause of practically 

 all of the odors found in cream and butter. The common ropy, bitter 

 and undesirable acid fermentations found in cream are due to these little 

 organisms. They multiply at a rapid rate, and, therefore, if only a few 

 enter today there will be millions tomorrow. 



The first source of poor cream is the pasture containing sloughs or 

 creeks. During the summer months when the cows are molested by 

 the flies they gather in these sloughs and, as a result, collect a great deal 

 of the slime and mud, which is shaken off when milking takes place. 

 Again, in the spring, when the frost begins to come out of the ground, the 

 lots are generally muddy and filled with manure. If the cows are milked 

 without being curried the milk pail again receives a contribution of filth. 



The second great source of poor cream is the unsanitary barn. If we 

 would visit all the barns of Iowa where cows are kept we would find 

 that only a few of them could be classed as dairy barns at all. As a 

 rule, the cow is placed wherever there is room, regardless of ventilation 

 or light. The quality of cream could be greatly improved if the barns 

 had tight ceilings, more windows and tight, well-drained floors. 



In many of the barns the ceilings are not tight. If there is a storage 

 space above for hay or straw, the dust drops through and into the open 

 milk can below. The floor should be tight and, preferably, constructed of 

 cement, which will not admit the wet manure to be absorbed. 



Light, one of the greatest disinfectants known, is almost entirely 

 ignored in most barns. We only have about one-third as many windows 

 in our barns as we need. At the present high price of lumber we can 

 buy glass as cheap as wood, which eliminates an extra expense. If the 

 barn has an abundance of light, the floors will be dried and the air will 

 be more healthful for the animals. 



The dairy barn should not contain anything but the necessary fixtures, 

 such as stanchions, troughs, carriers, etc. If machinery is stored in the 

 barn, it furnishes a place for the collection of dust and makes it difficult 

 to properly clean the floor and walls. A coat of whitewash three or four 

 times a year will also aid in keeping the barn clean and will add greatly 

 to the appearance of the interior. 



