62 CARE OF MILK AND CREAM ON FARM 



Cleanliness. Filth and manure, when they gain access to 

 milk and cream, pollute these products with their re- 

 spective odors and flavors. They further contaminate them with 

 diverse species of bacteria, which ferment the product, decompos- 

 ing one or more of its ingredients, producing objectionable odors 

 and flavors and yielding ferments, such as enzymes, which in turn 

 have the power of decomposing the product and deteriorating it 

 in storage. 



In order to avoid unnecessary contamination of milk, cream 

 and butter, these products should be produced and handled under 

 cleanly conditions. The barnyard should be kept dry and free 

 from manure so that the cows are not compelled to wade knee- 

 deep in mud before they enter the stable. The stable must be 

 kept free from abnormal accumulation of dirt, and manure ; the 

 manure must be removed at least once daily; the bedding must 

 be clean and the stable must be sufficiently ventilated to eliminate 

 strong animal and manure odors; the floors should be sprinkled 

 with Avater before sweeping and the sweeping must be done 

 several hours before milking, so as to give the dust in the air 

 a chance to settle before the milk is exposed to the stable air. 



The cows must be kept clean, by preventing them from 

 lying down on a filthy floor and their udder and flanks should be 

 wiped off with a clean, damp cloth before milking commences ; 

 the currying of the cows should be done after and not before 

 milking. 



The milker must be embued with a sufficient sense of clean- 

 liness and decency, to milk with clean, dry hands and to protect 

 the milk from undue contamination with dust, dirt and other 

 impurities. 



If machine milking is practised the teat cups and rubber 

 tubes should be thoroughly washed and soaked between milk- 

 ings in a solution of a suitable disinfectant, and the pulsators, 

 pails and acceessories must be regularly washed and scalded. 



The utensils must be clean and as nearly sterile as possible. 

 For this all pails, dippers, strainers, coolers, etc.^should be rinsed 

 with cold or luke warm water, washed thoroughly with hot 

 water, containing some washing powder and then scalded with 

 boiling hot water, or steamed if steam is available, 



