48 SOURCE OF BACTERIA IN MILK. 



means of reducing the number of bacteria in milk is to clean 

 the cow. Filth should be prevented from accumulating on 

 her skin. She should be groomed as frequently as possible ; 

 indeed, if groomed two or three times a day the result upon 

 the bacterial contamination of the milk is very noticeable. 

 All particles of dirt, which by any means may become at- 

 tached to the hairs of her flanks should be carefully removed. 

 The long hairs on the end of the tail are particularly liable 

 to become contaminated with urine and feces, and these 

 should be especially guarded. It is sometimes a custom to 

 cut off the long hairs upon the tail or around the flanks of 

 the animal, thus reducing greatly the chance of filth collect- 

 ing on her skin. The greater the attention paid to cleanliness 

 in this respect the more satisfactory the results. 



The Stable. The stable in .which the cows live, and par- 

 ticularly that in which the milking is done, should be kept 

 in as clean a condition as possible. In the stalls where the 

 cows stand care should be taken to have only clean bedding. 

 The manure should be removed frequently, preferably two 

 or three times a day. The walls of the rooms should be 

 kept clean and free from cobwebs and dirt, so far as possible. 

 The practice of whitewashing the walls is an excellent one, 

 not so much because the .whitewash in itself does much 

 toward reducing the amount of dirt, but because the white- 

 wash increases the light in the stable, shows quickly the 

 presence of dirt and draws the attention of the person who 

 looks after the stalls to the impurities in the stable. White- 

 washing should be done twice a year. Floors, walls and 

 windows in the stables where the cows are kept should 

 all be as clean as possible, and this is especially true if 

 the milking is carried on in the same room. The habit of 

 removing the cows to a separate milking room is one which 

 is undoubtedly very useful in reducing the chance of bac- 

 terial contamination. At best the stable in which the cows 

 are living cannot be kept as clean as a smaller room where 



