134 RURAL RECONSTRUCTION 



divided into six chief sections, " covering certain great questions, 

 namely, the health of the cow, the health of the persons handling 

 the milk, the water supply " (a most important point), " the con- 

 dition of the privy, the conditions in which cows are kept, the 

 construction and condition of the cow stables, the construction, 

 condition and methods of handling the utensils, and the methods of 

 milking and cooling takes the place of the old ' score cards.' " 



The innovation here described has proved most successful. The 

 ordinary " raw " milk, marked as " Grade C," which is in any case 

 allowed to be sold only for cooking purposes, has nearly disappeared 

 from the market. " Raw Grade B " milk is likewise already taboo. 

 People drink " Grade B " pasteurised or, by preference, " Grade A." 



Thanks to the meritorious initiative and persistent efforts of 

 Mr. Wilfrid Buckley, who has organised a model " clean milk " 

 dairy, which is a perfect model, on his farm Moundsmere Manor, 

 near Basingstoke, and, with the help of the National Clean Milk 

 Society (of No. 2, Soho Square), has set up a vigorous agitation in 

 favour of milk reform, our Government has rather late in the day 

 taken action with a view to bringing about in this country a reform 

 similar to that which has already so greatly benefited our cousins 

 in the two great States of North America. The action taken, up to 

 the bringing in of an empowering Act, has been only timid and tenta- 

 tive. It was felt that, to make what reform was possible palatable 

 to the public, progress must be made gradual, as it has with good 

 results been advisedly made in Canada, where " education " of the 

 public has been enlisted as a beneficial aid to precept. In his 

 writings Mr. Buckley has made the great danger threatening the 

 public involved in the sale of uninspected milk absolutely clear, and 

 given admirable directions for successfully combating the danger. 

 At Moundsmere Manor he has also been able to furnish conclusive 

 proof that " clean milk " will not go a-begging, though production 

 in its case costs more than that of the impure liquid, and the product 

 must accordingly be offered at a higher price. There are customers 

 in plenty who do not grudge parting with a little more money for 

 the purpose of obtaining an innocuous article. Under the control 

 of the Ministry of Food there has during the War, and for some time 

 after, been a careful inspection of milk designed for sale as " clean," 

 that is, graded milk, for the sale of which, as such, special licences 

 had to be taken out. The tests for " clean milk " applied are more 

 in number than those applied in America, the full score being 500, 

 instead of the American 100, 400 of them being set down to 

 " method " (handling of milk, etc.), which comes more into account 



