BACTERIA OF MILK AND ITS PRODUCTS 307 



the difference is not so great that the discarding of the fore milk 

 makes any great improvement in the general character of the 

 whole milking. So that whether the fore milk is retained or 

 discarded is a matter of little importance in the total number 

 of bacteria. 



Contamination from the Animal. The coat of the animal 

 is a fruitful source of bacteria in milk. Dirty animals intro- 

 duce an enormous number of bacteria. When particles of 

 manure are dislodged and fall into the milk during the process 

 of milking, they carry with them great numbers of bacteria, and 

 these are of an especially undesirable kind. When the animals 

 are not kept clean, the number of bacteria which fall into the 

 pail is great. Every particle of dust has a number of bacteria 

 riding on it, and the same thing is true of the hairs of the ani- 

 mal. This source of contamination can be prevented to a con- 

 siderable extent by, in the first place, keeping the animals clean, 

 and, where possible, currying them frequently at some other 

 time than just before milking, keeping the hair of the hind 

 quarters clipped short, and furthermore by moistening the 

 udder and flanks of the cows with a damp cloth just before milk- 

 ing. It is also desirable to use a small- topped milk pail, and 

 many of them are now so constructed that they prevent, largely, 

 the entrance of bacteria and dirt into the pail during the 

 process of milking. The use of these pails also prevents the 

 entrance of bacteria from the next source to be considered. 



The Entrance of Bacteria into the Milk from the Air. If 

 milk is to be produced under as good conditions as possible, 



