482 Transactions of the Canadian Institute. [Vol. VII. 



manure when she lies down ; and when too short, the hind-quarters and 

 tail find their resting place in the gutter. {See Fig. ^). 



The milker, too, is not always above reproach. Clothed in dust- 

 laden garments, used for all kinds of farm and stable work, without even 

 washing his hands, he does the milking as he would do any other job 

 on the farm. Too often the milker has the filthy practice of moistening 

 his hands and the cow's teats with milk. Freudenreich^^ reports some 

 experiments in which the germ-content of milk was reduced from several 

 thousands to 200 where the hands were well rubbed with vaseline before 

 milking, and as pointed out by Russell,^^ a pinch of vaseline not only 

 helps the milker to obtain a firmer grasp, but also prevents scales or 

 dirt from being rubbed from the teats, and its effect on sore or chapped 

 teats is healing. 



Methods of Prevention. 



Contamination from the milker can, however, to a very large extent, 

 be prevented by moistening thoroughly the flanks and udder of the cow 

 before milking. Germs cannot leave a moist surface, and the dust-like 

 particles are thus held in place. {See Fig. 5). The following instructive 

 experiment is cited by Russell^^ : — 



" When the animal was milked without any special precautions 

 being taken, there were 3,250 bacteria per minute deposited on an area 

 equal to the exposed top of a ten-inch pail. When the cow received 

 the precautionary treatment, as suggested above, there were only 115 

 bacteria per minute deposited on the same area. This indicates that a 

 large number of organisms from the dry coat of the animal can be kept 

 out of the milk if such simple precautions are carried out." It has been 

 frequently found that the germ-content of the milk in the pail is increased 

 from 20,000 to 40,000 bacteria per minute during the milking period by 

 the dislodgment of organisms from the animal. 



By diminishing the exposed surface of the milk-pail, {see Fig. 6), a 

 considerable amount of dirt may be excluded, as it is obvious that less 

 dirt will fall in a pail with a small opening. A number of different 

 types of such pails are now in use, and Eckles^^ and other investigators 

 have given us experimental data on the subject. Thus 43,200 bacteria 

 per c.c. were found in the milk drawn in a common pail, as against 

 3,200 per c.c. in the covered pail. The milk soured in forty-three hours 

 in the first case ; sixty-four hours in the latter case. 



The milker should put on a clean, loose, cotton or linen smock over 



