168 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



reduction in the numbers of bacteria. Whereas before that 

 date the bacteria in the milk had been running in many mil- 

 lions, after that date they were reduced to a few thousand. 

 October 1 is the dividing line between high numbers and low 

 numbers of bacteria. It happens that this was the very date on 

 which the milk dealer offered to pay a bonus to the producers 

 for extra care, and for milk coming up to the bacterial standard 

 of 25,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter. It is impossible to look 

 on these figures without being satisfied that the offering of this 

 bonus was the chief factor in securing results. In other words, 

 the dairy farmer can and will secure results if he is paid for his 

 work. 



As a further demonstration of the possibilities of producing 

 clean milk under the auspices of the rank and file of dairy 

 farmers, the writer undertook the following experiment. Ten 

 of the dairy farmers at Oxford, who had been trained for one 

 year in sanitary methods, agreed to accompany the writer 

 to another dairy district and perform the milking operations 

 in strange dairy barns. Precautions had been taken previously 

 to test the milk produced in these other cow stables, which 

 were located at a place called Kelton, Pennsylvania. The 

 laboratory tests of the milk obtained from these dairies showed 

 that it was running very high, containing often millions of 

 bacteria per cubic centimeter. No preparations whatever were 

 made for this test, it being understood that the only changes 

 would be such as the Oxford farmers could themselves bring 

 about on the afternoon of the experiment. When the day 

 arrived the ten Oxford farmers took the train with the writer 

 from Oxford, and on arrival at Kelton, in company with the 

 Kelton producers, drove out to the ten Kelton dairies where 

 the experiment was to be performed. Each Oxford farmer 

 took with him one small-mouthed milking pail. On their 

 arrival at the Kelton dairies the Oxford men took charge of 

 the milking operations, and carried out such sanitary pre- 

 cautions as they were able to perform during the period of 

 milking. In this work they used the same barns, the same 

 cows, the same cooling apparatus and the same milking uten- 

 sils, with the exception of milking pails. The milk was left in 

 the Kelton dairies over night, and samples were not taken 



