BACTERIA OF MILK AND ITS PRODUCTS 309 



production of a high-grade milk the milker should have a clean 

 suit of clothes. In many dairies the milker wears a white 

 duck suit, clean at each milking, or at least once a day. In 

 other cases special suits are worn, but are not washed so fre- 

 quently. The hands of the milker may effect the bacterial 

 content of the milk. There is a habit among the milkmen of 

 milking a few streams on to their hands and then milking wet, 

 as it is called. This is a disgusting practice and should be 

 discontinued. The milkman ought to wash his hands before 

 beginning to milk, and in some dairies it is done before milking 

 each cow. For those who object to milking dry the hands 

 may be moistened with vaseline. It appears also that some 

 milkers can get a much better milk from the same cow under 

 the same conditions than others. For example, it has been 

 shown that dairy students milked more efficiently than the 

 ordinary force, the difference being due to the fact, no doubt, 

 that the students understand and pay heed to the rationale of 

 the process. 



The Care of the Milk. Care in collecting milk is necessary 

 in order to keep the initial germ content low, but the subse- 

 quent care of the milk is quite as important. Milk is an ideal 

 food for microbes, and they grow with great rapidity if they 

 are given conditions favorable to development. When the 

 bacteria are in the milk, about the only thing that they need in 

 order to grow rapidly is the proper temperature. The milk 

 furnishes everything else. It is absolutely necessary, then, in 

 order to keep the germ content low, to prevent the bacteria 



