DAIRY METHODS 113 



The dairyman may feel that some of the precautions are un- 

 necessary, and that so many changes from old methods are 

 needless. But he should remember that condition's are rapidly 

 changing and that there is a much more emphatic demand for 

 cleanness in milk than ever before. He should also remember 

 that it is exactly these precautions that will enable him to 

 guard the butter and cheese-maker from troubles which we 

 shall notice later. The demand for greater care in the produc- 

 tion of milk is a growing one, and one that will be more and 

 more rigidly enforced. 



AT THE BARN 



The Health of the Cow. This hardly belongs to our immediate 

 subject, but it is so closely related to the wholesomeness of milk 

 that it cannot be passed unnoticed. A veterinarian should 

 periodically inspect the cattle, to determine their soundness; and 

 no animal suffering from any udder disease should be allowed 

 to contribute to the milk supply. The importance of excluding 

 tuberculous cattle from those contributing to the public milk 

 supply cannot be over-rated. The only method by which this 

 can be done is not only to have an inspection of all the cattle, 

 but to have at intervals a tuberculin test applied to the whole 

 herd to detect this disease in any animal. Any animal that 

 reacts must be separated at once from the rest of the herd, 

 and her milk must not be sold. A universal tuberculin test of 

 the cattle in the country is not possible under present condi- 

 tions, but it must be emphatically insisted that so long as the 

 cows that furnish milk to the public are not thus inspected and 

 tested, the public is in a constant source of danger from tuber- 

 culosis. Careful watch should be kept of the udder of the 

 animals, and whenever any signs of udder disease appear in 

 the form of inflammation or hardness, running sores or the 

 appearance of bloody milk, the animal should be excluded at 



