DEVELOPMENT OF CITY MILK SUPPLY PROBLEMS 45 



too low, he changed the conditions of production as profound- 

 ly as financial conditions seemed to warrant. 4:j 



The decline in popularity of the score card as the basis for 

 farm inspection may be ascribed to two general factors. The 

 first was connected with the matter of germ life in milk. 

 The period during which interest in the germ content of milk 

 practically overshadowed other phases of milk quality in the 

 minds of health officials was practically coincident with the 

 period of interest in dairy score cards. At the time the score 

 cards were formulated there was little available information 

 as to just how bacteria most commonly found their way into 

 milk. This question soon thereafter received careful study 

 and unfortunately for the score cards these studies showed 

 that the avenues through which the great bulk of the germ 

 life enters the milk 41 had been given slight emphasis on the 

 score cards. The correctness of this conclusion was shown 

 by a separate line of inquiry through which it was demon- 

 strated that there was no observable relation between the germ 

 life present in the milk of dairies and the score of these dairies 

 on any of the score cards in general use. 45 It is entirely con- 

 ceivable that in the light of added knowledge regarding the 

 sources of bacteria in milk, new and better score cards might 

 be formulated. 



A second set of facts has militated even more strongly 

 against farm inspection. Mention has been made of the large 

 appropriation with which New York City initiated its farm 

 inspection. However, it soon became evident that with this 

 appropriation it would not be possible to inspect all the 

 farms furnishing milk to that city more than once per year. 

 A survey of the general situation showed that only under ex- 

 ceptional conditions could funds be made available to provide 



43 H. A. Harding and J. D. Brew, The Financial Stimulus in City Milk 

 Production, Bui. 363, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1913. 



44 M. J. Prucha, H. M. Weeter and W. H. Chambers, Germ Content of 

 Milk. II. As Influenced by the Utensils, Bui. 204, 111. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1918. 



45 J. D. Brew, Milk Quality as Determined by Present Dairy Score Cards, 

 Bui. 398, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1915. 



