Xo. 4.] :\nLK. 49 



in the matter of herd inspection and more care in the pro- 

 duction of milk. It has been a part of my dut}" in the last 

 few months to malve somewhat of a careful inspection of the 

 milk supply of several of the larger cities in the east, and I 

 am absolutely amazed at the great attention that is now 

 being given to the milk question by the officers and medical 

 authorities in the cities. I think the farmers are not aware 

 of what might be called almost a revolution that is going on 

 at the city end of the line. The paper of the speaker is 

 valuable as a connecting link in opening up the means for 

 the farmer getting in touch with the city end of the business. 



The advance movement has gone so far that the large 

 contracting firms of Boston have bacteriologists regularly 

 connected with their establishments, in addition to their 

 chemists, to test the milk for bacteria ever}^ day. The Bos- 

 ton board of health has established a bacteriological stand- 

 ard ; and milk with a certain amount of bacteria is liable to 

 get the producer into trouble, just as much as if the milk 

 was deficient in solids. 



In New York City I found that the city board of health 

 paA's more attention to the milk question than any other 

 one topic. There are pages after pages devoted to it in their 

 reports, and photograph after photograph given in illustration 

 of what they say. In New York they have established a 

 temperature standard, instead of a bacteriological standard, 

 because they say the bacteria multi})ly yevy rapidly with a 

 higher temperature ; and conse(|uently it is not of so nmch 

 account whether the milk has more or less bacteria at the 

 start, if it is only kept cool. There the inspectors put their 

 thermometers in the milk, and if it is over 50° they pom* 

 the milk out in the gutter. 



In Philadelphia the board of health is taking samples of 

 milk every day, and testing them, rather than sending a 

 veterinarian into the country to test the animals. The day 

 before I was there they had taken 70 samples, and out of the 

 70 they found pus in 4. This is not a very pleasant Avord 

 to use in connection with food, but it illustrates what a big 

 movement is going on under the direction of the health 

 organizations in the city. 



