454 BIOLOGICAL AND SANITARY MATTERS. 



12. The floor and the gutters should be swept at least an hour 

 before milking, so that the dust may settle, or they should be 

 washed just before milking. 



13. If individual drinking troughs are used for the cows they 

 should be frequently emptied and cleaned. 



The Cows. 



14. The cows should be kept at all times in a healthy con- 

 dition, and an examination by a Veterinary Surgeon should be 

 made at least twice a year. 



15. The cows should be groomed, and all manure, mud, and 

 other filth which has collected on the sides, flanks, udders, teats, 

 or bellies should be removed before milking. 



16. The clipping of long hair on the udder helps to prevent 

 the collection of dirt which may drop into the milk, especially 

 with cows whose teats are short or placed too close together. 



17. The brush of the tail should be cut and trimmed so that 

 it will be well above the ground, and in winter the flanks, hind- 

 quarters, and tail may be clipped to make cleaning easier. 



18. The cows should be bedded with sawdust, shavings, or 

 straw, or some equally clean material. 



19. To prevent the cows lying down and getting dirty between 

 cleaning and milking, a throat latch of rope or chain should be 

 fastened across the stall under the cow's neck. 



The Milking and Milkers. 



20. The milkers should be clean. 



21. Their hands should be thoroughly washed with soap and 

 water, and carefully dried on clean towels before milking, and as 

 often as is necessary during milking. Their nails should be kept 

 short and clean. 



22. Clean overalls should be worn during the milking of the 

 cows ; should be used for no other purpose, and when not in 

 use should be kept in a clean place protected from dust. 



23. The milkers' hands and the cows' teats should be kept 

 dry during milking. The practice of moistening the hands is 

 to be condemned. 



24. The first few streams from each teat should be rejected, 

 as they contain more bacteria than the rest of the milk. 



25. All milk drawn from the cows thirty days before and seven 

 days after calving should be rejected, and also all milk from sick 

 and diseased cows. 



26. The pails in which the milk is drawn should have as small 

 an opening as can be used in milking. This diminishes the amount 

 of dirt that can fall into the milk. See Fig. 51. 



