252 Elementary Principles of Agriculture 



of the fact that milk is peculiarly adaptable to the 

 growth of germs, any one having a contagious or infec- 

 tious disease should not come in contact with it. Germs 

 are always present in such cases, as smallpox, typhoid 

 fever, diphtheria, etc., and are certain to find their way 

 into the product if the person afflicted is permitted 

 to come in contact with the milk or butter. 



362. Cleanliness of the Stable. At best, the stable 

 is difficult to free from bacteria. The great natural 

 enemies of bacteria are light and sunshine. The stable 

 should be kept clean, and there should always be pres- 

 ent an abundance of fresh air and sunshine. The dark 

 corners of the stable, filled with dust, are the houses 

 of millions of germs which finally find their way into 

 the milk and make it unfit for human food. 



363. Care in Milking. When milk first comes from 

 a healthy cow it is clean, wholesome, and free from 

 bacteria or germs. It is also known that it is possible 

 to produce milk with comparatively only a few germs 

 by the exercise of care in milking. The care in milking 

 consists in clean hands and clean clothes on the part 

 of the milker and the proper cleaning of the cow's 

 udder before the milking begins. 



364. Care in Keeping Milk. Milk is very susceptible 

 to bad odors as well as germs, therefore, it should be 

 removed to a cool, clean place as soon as milked. The 

 milking should precede the feeding, as there is always 

 more or less dust present in feeding hay, and other 

 undesirable odors are present, when feeding silage or 

 root crops. As soon as milked, the animal heat and 

 animal odor should be removed by thoroughly airing 

 and cooling the milk. 



365. Churning. The size, consistency and number 



