300 AGRICULTURE FOR COMMON SCHOOLS 



seams soldered over so they can be easily cleansed. All other 

 vessels should also be constructed in the same way. All ves- 

 sels in which milk is handled should be thoroughly washed, 

 scalded, or steamed, and exposed to the sunshine after being 

 used. Before being washed with hot water, milk vessels 

 should be rinsed with cold water. The hot water melts the 

 fat and cooks the albumen and makes it more difficult to 

 cleanse the vessel. A little washing powder or soap added 

 to the water is desirable. After the washing has been done a 

 thorough rinsing with scalding hot water, or a good steam- 

 ing, should be given. Exposure to sunshine is necessary, 

 because sunshine is death to bacteria and is also a great 

 sweetener and purifier. Milk is one of the best places for 

 bacteria to grow, and when pails and cans are carelessly 

 washed, or milk is allowed to dry in the seams and joints, 

 bacteria multiply very rapidly. 



3. Milch cows should be kept in clean and healthful sur- 

 roundings. The stables and yards should be clean and dry. 

 Cows kept in dirty and foul-smelling stables cannot give milk 

 of the best quality, nor can the milk gathered under such 

 conditions be entirely pure. Milk takes up odors very read- 

 ily. Hence it is impossible to draw milk in a foul-smelling 

 stable without tainting it. The yards into which cows are 

 turned in the winter and spring should be as dry as possible. 

 It is not good for the cows to wade in mud and manure, and 

 some of the mud and filth which will get on the cow are sure 

 to get into the milk at milking time. 



It is important that the stables in which cows are kept 

 should be well ventilated. There should be space enough in 

 the stable to give each cow about 500 cubic feet of air to 

 breathe. There should be windows to let in the sunlight, for 



