PART V. LIVE STOCK AND DAIRY 



Legal Milk House. 



What is a legal milk house in California? 



The State dairy law says little concerning the construction or 

 equipment of the milk house. It says that the house, or room, shall 

 be properly screened to exclude flies and insects, and is to be used 

 for the purpose of cooling, mixing, canning and keeping the milk. 

 The milk room shall not be used for any other purpose than milk 

 handling and storing, and must be 100 feet or more distant from 

 hogpen, horse stable, cesspool or similar accumulation of filth, and 

 must be over 50 feet from cow stalls or places where milking is 

 done. In regard to the size of the milk room and equipment, nothing 

 is said provided it is large enough for the milk to be handled con- 

 veniently. Concrete milk houses, however, had best have smooth- 

 finished floors and walls. The interior of the milk house is also to 

 be whitewashed once in two years or oftener. If milk from the 

 dairy is to go to a city, the requirements will be more severe than 

 provided in the State law, and must conform to the ordinances of 

 the city to which the milk is to be sent. 



Cure for a Self-Milker. 



What shall I do for a young cow that milks herself f 

 Fit a harness consisting of two light side slats and a girth and 

 neck strap in such a way that the cow cannot reach her udder. Unless 

 she is particularly valuable for milk, it will save you a lot of worry 

 to fix her up for beef. 



Strong Milk. 



Hozv can I overcome strong milk in a three-quarter Jersey cozv? I 

 had been feeding alfalfa hay zvith two quarts alfalfa meal and one quart 

 middlings twice a day. Thinking the strong milk came from the feed 

 I changed to oat hay and alfalfa with a soft feed of bran and middlings. 



There is nothing in either ration that could cause strong milk, nor 

 will a change of feed likely benefit the trouble. If the cow is in 

 good physical condition the trouble probably comes from the entrance 

 of bacteria during or after milking. Thoroughly clean up around the 

 milking stable, followed by a disinfection of the premises. Have the 

 flanks, udder and teats of the cow thoroughly cleaned before milking 

 and scald all utensils used for the milk. Harmful bacteria may have 

 gotten well established on the premises and the entrance of a few 

 is enough to seriously affect the flavor of the milk. Once the trouble 

 is checked it can be kept down with the usual sanitary methods. 



