A LITTLE LESSON ABOUT LITTLE THINGS 31 



for millions of microbes are living there together and 

 working as fast as possible. They are also ready to go 

 from such a city to a new place, and there the new 

 colony grows fast. 



Take a sound apple and a rotten apple. Crack the 

 skin of the sound one, press the rotten one against it, 

 and leave them close together for a few days ; then exam- 

 ine them and you will see that even the sound apple has 

 begun to spoil. A few microbes promptly went across 

 from the rotten to 

 the sound apple and 

 made their home 

 there. After that 

 nothing can save an yy] 



apple except to cut 

 off every bit that is 

 spoiled; but even WRERE M]CROBES MAy CROSS 



then it will not keep 



long, for the skin is broken and other microbes from 

 the air can get into it easily. 



This is true of every kind of fruit, and also of meat 

 and milk, in fact, of anything that can decay. Microbes 

 move fast and they start new homes in whatever is near 

 by. Cooks who know this are careful to protect their 

 food from microbes if they can. They never put fresh 

 meat near meat that is spoiling, nor new milk into a 

 pitcher with old milk. 



