Contamination of Milk. 47 



be taken to mean a mere absence of dirt and filth, but all 

 utensils that come in actual contact with the milk should 

 be rendered as germ-free as possible. 



From the time that the milk enters the weigh- can until 

 the butter is in the tub, and the cheese on the curing- 

 shelf, it should be remembered that many opportunities 

 for infection are always present. 



51. Factory utensils. In the factory, part of the 

 same set of factors of infection are at work as are found 

 in the farm dairy. The condition of factory utensils is 

 always a point of prime importance. Where steam is 

 accessible, as it is in the majority of cases, there is no 

 excuse for uncleanliness of any sort, as most pieces 

 can be steamed directly. Open vats can be thoroughly 

 scalded if covered with a heavy canvas cloth. Separator 

 bowls, churns, cans, and dippers should always receive a 

 daily treatment. The rational nature of these methods 

 is to be seen in those cases where the same utensil, say 

 a dipper, is employed indiscriminately in handling all 

 kinds of dairy products. All cans with rusty seams 

 should be discarded. Permit no vat to be repaired by 

 putting in a false covering over the old one. If a minute 

 leak is established, such places become a harbor of refuge 

 for all kinds of putrefactive organisms . In a number of 

 cases ill- smelling factory odors have been traced to such 

 a cause. 



52. Infection from air. The influence of the air 

 on the germ content of the milk is, as a rule, overesti- 

 mated. If the air is quiet, and free from dust, the amount 

 of germ life in the same is not relatively large. In a 

 creamery or factory, infection from this source ought to 

 be much reduced, for the reason that the floors and 

 walls are, as a rule, quite damp, and hence germ life 

 cannot easily be dislodged. The majority of organisms 



