60 Dairy Bacteriology. 



Steam is available in most cases, so that all vats, cans, 

 churns and pails can be thoroughly scalded. Special em- 

 phasis should be given to the matter of cleaning pumps 

 and pipes. The difficulty of keeping these utensils clean 

 often leads to neglect and subsequent infection. Care 

 must be taken relative to the use of worn apparatus. 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 be- 

 come a harbor of refuge for all kinds of putrefactive or- 

 ganisms. In a number of cases ill-smelling factory odors 

 have been traced to such a cause. 



The influence of the air on the germ content of the milk 

 is, as a rule, overestimated. If the air is quiet, and free 

 from dust, the amount of germ life in the same is not rela- 

 tively large. In a creamery or factory, infection from this 

 source ought to be much reduced, for the reason that the 

 floors and wall are, as a rule, quite damp, and hence germ 

 life cannot easily be dislodged. The majority of organisms 

 found under such conditions come from the person of the 

 operators and attendants. Any infection can easily be 

 prevented by having the ripening cream-vats covered with 

 a canvas cloth. The clothing of the operator should be 

 different from the ordinary wearing-apparel. If made of 

 white duck, the presence of dirt is more quickly recog- 

 nized, and greater care will therefore be taken than if or- 

 dinary clothes are worn. 



The surroundings of the factory have much to do with 

 the danger of germ infection. Many factories are poorly 

 constructed and the drainage is poor, so that filth and slime 

 collect about and especially under the factory. The ema- 

 nations from these give the peculiar " factory odor " that 

 indicates fermenting matter. Not only are these odors 



