No. 4.] GRADING OF MILK. 169 



for bacterial testing until it was delivered at the shipping sta- 

 tion the next morning. The results of these tests showed that, 

 whereas in these dairies for the previous six days milk containing 

 millions of bacteria had been produced, the Oxford men were 

 able in one afternoon to produce milk containing, in nine out 

 of ten cases, less than 10,000 bacteria per cubic centimeter. 



This seems to be an emphatic demonstration that the man 

 himself is the chief factor in clean milk production. It also 

 shows clearly that it is possible for the rank and file of dairy 

 farmers to furnish milk which is of a very high degree of sani- 

 tary excellence, and can conform to a bacterial standard almost 

 as severe as that used for certified milk. 



The pasteurization of milk is something that should be en- 

 dorsed by milk producers, simply because it furnishes a life 

 insurance to the consumers as well as to the milk industry. 

 Nothing is more fatal to the milk dealer's or the producer's 

 financial interest than an epidemic of disease caused by bacteria 

 in milk. No degree of veterinary inspection of cattle, or medi- 

 cal inspection of employees, can entirely protect milk against 

 sudden outbreaks of typhoid fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria and 

 sore throat. All of these bacteria, and even those of tuber- 

 culosis, are killed by a temperature of 145° F. for a period of 

 thirty minutes. This can be done without the destruction of 

 any of the food value of milk itself. Pasteurization adds great 

 stability to the milk industry, and should be approved by the 

 producer for financial reasons, if for no other. As a matter of 

 fact, pasteurization can be adopted to advantage even on the 

 dairy farm itself, especially where milk is to be used for infants 

 or children. This can be done by the operation of a small- 

 sized home pasteurizer, using the heat from a kitchen stove. 

 Such machines can be purchased from dairy supply houses, and, 

 in many instances, are effective in preventing an outbreak of 

 disease among children. 



We have completely passed the experimental stage in 

 methods of sanitary milk production and pasteurization. It 

 only remains to create a demand for clean and safe milk in our 

 city markets. Such a demand cannot be made effective by the 

 milk dealer himself, for the reason that the public refuses to 

 accept the milk dealer's statements as to the character of the 



