188 FARM ANIMALS 



market milk varies from twenty-five thousand 

 to ten million per cubic centimeter. The presence 

 of fifty thousand bacteria per cubic centimeter 

 does not indicate any serious neglect of sanitary 

 precautions on the part of the dairyman, but 

 much larger numbers are evidence of neglect on 

 his part. 



In order to practice sanitary dairying it is nec- 

 essary to observe many precautions, some of which 

 may be set down as follows : It is necessary to re- 

 move the milk at once from the stable, cool it down 

 to a temperature at which bacteria do not readily 

 grow and keep it under conditions where it cannot 

 be affected by the presence of filth. It is not 

 necessary to construct expensive stables, but the 

 milk stable should not be directly connected with 

 the hay or feed barn in such a way that dust from 

 the latter may contaminate the milking stable. In 

 order that this stable may be kept clean, the floors 

 must be smoothly laid, preferably of dovetailed 

 boards or still better of cement. All dairy uten- 

 sils with which the milk comes in contact must 

 be thoroughly sterilized by boiling water or steam 

 after each using. The sanitary care of dairy 

 utensils is a matter which often gets too little at- 

 tention. It is not sufficient merely to wash the 

 dairy utensil as other dishes are handled, but the 

 utensils must be washed in all corners in order 

 that no milk fat is left behind in them and every 

 part of the utensil must be thoroughly sterilized 

 with boiling water or steam, otherwise bacteria 

 remain in connection with the fat from the milk 

 and are in a position to cause a rapid souring of 

 fresh milk when placed in such utensils. These 

 requirements should apply with special force to 

 the hand separator on the farm. This utensil has 



