CONTROL OF THE PUBLIC MILK SUPPLY 



479 



TABLE 124. AVERAGE SCORES OP 20 DAIRIES 1 IN URBANA AND CHAMPAIGN, ILL., 



1909, 1910 AND 1911 



1 It does not appear that the same dairies were scored at the different scorings 

 but in all probability many of them were the same. 



but the milk was dirty and had a high bacterial count. The tests of the 

 milk of 19 dairies supplying dealer A and of that of 21 dairies supplying 

 dealer B made on 2 different days in the middle of October may be taken 

 as illustrations of the quality of milk sold. The milks of the dairies sup- 

 plying dealer A had an average fat test of 4.3 per cent, with tests ranging 

 from 3.2 to 5 per cent, of butterfat, while the acidity, expressed as per- 

 centage of lactic acid, averaged 0.188 per cent, and varied from 0.166 

 to 0.216 per cent. The milks of the dairies supplying dealer B had an 

 average fat test of 3.8 per cent, with tests ranging from 2.7 to 6.2 per cent, 

 while the acidity averaged 0.199 per cent, and varied from 0.159 to 0.234 

 per cent. The milk of four, or 21 per cent., of the dairies supplying dealer 

 A had a bacterial count of less than 200,000 per cubic centimeter and 

 would fall in grade A; that of 13, or 68 per cent., of his dairies had a count 

 of between 200,000 and 1,000,000 and would fall in grade B and that of 

 2, or 11 per cent., would fall in grade C. Of dealer B's dairies two, or 

 9 per cent., would be classed as grade A, six, or 29 per cent., as grade B 

 and 13, or 62 per cent., as grade C. It thus appears that according to 

 the New York grading not over 10 per cent, of this milk was fit for con- 

 sumption raw while over 10 per cent, of dealer A's milk and over 60 per 

 cent, of dealer B's milk was fit only for industrial use. The high counts 

 are partially explainable by the dirty condition of the milk but the fact 

 that the morning milk was not cooled and was hauled in that condition 

 for an hour or two over hot roads to the dealer's bottling plants was 

 largely responsible for the high counts and acidity. 



It is not intended to convey the impression that the milk of all small 

 towns is bad and to deter people from using it. Undoubtedly some small 

 cities have good milk supplies but many do not and the difficulties in the 

 way of helping them to better ones are very great. At first thought it 

 might seem that the State boards of health might be of assistance but 

 it is doubtful if they can be. Very few have nearly enough men to carry 

 on their milk work properly. The consequence is that their usual mode 

 of operation is to have their inspectors drop down on a town where they 

 hastily score the dairies and collect milk samples from the delivery wagons. 

 Those dealers whose milk is below grade are prosecuted. This sort of 



