798 CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK AND COMPLETE STOCK DOCTOR. 



excellent pmctice to stand the paiLs and other milk v&ssels in the sun so 

 that the rays will reach every part of the inside. Most species of bacteria 

 can not live in the direct rays of the sun. For thLs reason milk rooms and 

 similar rooms for handling milk products, except cold-storage rooms, 

 should be built so that the sunlight can enter in abundance. Dairy rooms 

 are iLsually damp, and if dark will permit the growth of molds and the 

 development of bacteria, and will speedily become unfit as places to keep 

 milk. The troubles with stringy, or ropy, milk usually occur in places of 

 this kind, and can be overcome by a thorough cleansing and the admis- 

 sion of plenty of air and sunlight. 



V. Handling of Milk After It Is Drawn. 



Milk is often spoiled by allowing it to stand in the barn too long after 

 it is drawn. It readily absorbs odors from the air, and odors of the barn 

 are usually very much in evidence. For this reason the milk should be 

 quickly removed to a jilace free from odors. 



The Milk Room. — If milk is placed in a cellar or cave where there 

 are decaying vegetables or fruits it will quickly absorb the odors from 

 them. Such places are entirely unfit for the storing of milk. The dairy- 

 man should have a building set apart from the barns or other places from 

 which objectionable odors might come, for the exclusive use of the dairy. 

 This building need not be very large, but must be constructed so that it 

 can be easily kept clean and cool. A cement floor should be laid, as it is 

 the easiest to clean, is cool, and does not rot from moisture. If the walls 

 are built of stone, brick, or concrete, so much the better, for such walls keep 

 out the heat. 



The roof construction should be such that it will effectually turn the 

 heat of the sun. If the roof is not of concrete, it should be built double 

 so that an air current will pass between the upper and lower part. Walls 

 and ceilings should be covered with cement plaster, whether wood or stone 

 is used in their construction. This finish, if properly put on, is easy to 

 clean and does not readily become affected with mold or decay. 



The Water Supply. — Provision must be made for an abundance of 

 water and the pumping arrangement must be such that the fresh water 

 from the well or spring will flow through the dairy house. It should run 

 into a tank built deep enough to allow the complete submerging of the 

 milk and cream cans. The tank should have sufficient width and length 

 to hold all that it may be necessary to use. A tank built up of concrete 

 and finished with a cement surface is the most economical in the long mn 

 and is much more satisfactory. Provision must be made for draining it 

 out for purposes of cleaning. Wooden tanks are usually a source of trouble 

 from leaks and decay. Iron tanks do not last long, because they become 

 rusty. 



Cooling Arrangements. — If the dairyman has ice, the problem of cool- 

 ing is very simple. Broken ice can be placed in the tank about the cans. 

 There are plans for building ice houses with refrigerators connected, bui, 



