DAIRYING AND BUTTER MAKING DAIRY BUILDINGS. 797 



IV. Milk Utensils and Their Care. 



Character of Utensils. — Not all of the bacteria that find their way 

 into milk come from the cow or the barn. Often milk pails, strainers, cans, 

 and other utensils used for handling milk are the source of such trouble. 

 Faulty construction of these vessels is very common. There should be no 

 hidden, inaccessible places in milk vessels. The seams should be soldered 

 over smoothly, inside and out. Cheap tinware is not usually well soldered, 

 and if such is purchased it should be taken to the tinner to have all seams 

 carefully gone over, closing up all that are open and can not easily be 

 cleaned. Galvanized iron is sometimes used for milk pails and other dairy 

 vessels, but it should not be, as the galvanizing is rough on the surface . 

 and affords hiding places for innumerable bacteria. Wooden vassels should 

 not be tolerated, under any condition, for holding milk, for it is impos- 

 sible to keep them clean. Rusty tinware, besides its effect in imparting 

 rusty or metallic flavor to the milk, is objectionable for the same reason. 

 Good tin is the only practicable material for milk vessels, and this must 

 be kept shining and bright. 



Cleaning the Utensils. — The proper Avashing of milk utensils is some- 

 thing that is often misundei-stood. All milk should be rinsed from the 

 surface of the tin before it comes in contact with boiling water, as the heat 

 will cook the milk onto the surface, forming a coating very difficult to 

 remove. If this coating is not removed, it furnishes food and place for 

 bacterial growth. This is especially true around places liable to remain 

 moist. After rinsing the vessel free from milk, it may then be washed in 

 hot water. There should be added to the water some good cleansing com- 

 pound. Some of the so-called washing po\xders are very objectionable, as 

 grease of some kind is used principally in their make-up. When such 

 powders are used a coating of thick grease will be formed around the edges 

 of the sink or pan containing the wash water. All such compounds should 

 be discarded. Powders can be procured that are guaranteed to contain no 

 grease, and they are usually excellent cleansers. If these are not obtain- 

 able, the best thing to use is ordinary commercial sal soda and a little borax, 

 which are cheap and effective. 



For scrubbing the surfaces of milk vessels a good brush should be used. 

 There is nothing more objectionable for this purpose than a cloth, particu- 

 larly the cloth that has been used for washing the dinner dishes, or the pots 

 and pans. A good hand brush can be purchased for a few cents. It is the 

 most effective and can easily be kept clean. 



Drying and Sunning Utensils. — The final rinsing of dairy vessels 

 should be in boiling hot water. If they are allowed io remain a few min- 

 utes in the hot water, all the better. The heat will reach every part, and 

 be continued long enough to destroy all bacterial life. After the rinsing 

 in boiling wat^r, the surface will quickly dry and should be allowed to do 

 so naturally. Turn the vessel so that it will drain, and in a few moments 

 the heat in the metal will dry the surface. A cloth for drying can rarely 

 be kept clean, and for this reason does more harm than good. It is an 



