The cities that have adopted the score-card system and are 

 regularly following it are reporting dairy conditions constantly 

 improving. Dealers often pay more for milk from high-scoring 

 dairies, which encourages better work on the part of the producer. 

 The good dairymen naturally want a high score, and by studying 

 the points in the score card are able to improve their conditions. 



The history of the production of "certified milk" shows that 

 it was early determined that a close supervision of the dairy was 

 necessary to insure a continued high standard. The herd and farm 

 inspections should cover the state of health of the cow, herd 

 hygiene, the sanitation of the buildings and premises, the care of 

 utensils, the farm and dairy methods and practices and inquiries 

 regarding the health of the dairymen, milkers and their families. 

 The use of the score card is applicable for this purpose, as well as 

 for the average dairy, and realizing this fact the Executive Com- 

 mittee of the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions 

 in 1909 recommended the adoption of an official score card. 



In brief, the following recommendations were made by the 

 Executive Committee : 



First That no producer should be considered for the production 

 of certified milk by the Medical Milk Commission unless his dairy 

 shows a score of 90% or _ more. 



Second A system of scoring should be adopted under which 

 detached statements of conditions obtained at the dairy shall be 

 reported to one Central Committee, for the entire country, which 

 shall reduce these reports to percentage standings. 



Third That the score cards for the dairy be prepared by a 

 person who is acceptable to the local Commission and the dairy- 

 man. 



Fourth That similar reports be made from time to time also 

 by a Federal or State official not interested locally. 



If these recommendations are followed by all Medical Milk Com- 

 missions in the United States it means that all certified dairies will 

 be producing milk under the same standard, which will lead to 

 uniformity in the production of certified milk and a fairness to all 

 dairymen, which is to be desired. So far as I have been able to 

 learn, the official score card has not been prepared for the Ameri- 

 can Association, although the report of the Executive Committee 

 was adopted. 



It might be said that the score card used in the dairies of the 

 East would not be applicable for the dairies in California, where 

 the conditions are so widely different. But this is not necessarily 

 so. If the meaning of the score card is properly interpreted it is 

 possible and practical to adopt a uniform system of scoring for all 

 dairies. 



Personally I have scored 150 dairies which supply milk to San 

 Francisco, using a score card modeled after the one recommended 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture. The average score 

 for these dairies was below 60%. Using the same score card for the 

 two certified dairies supplying milk to San Francisco, I found 

 them at all times to score above 90%. 



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