Necessary Precautions in Milking 157 



Milking. In the production of certified milk, clean- 

 liness all along the line is most essential, and the 

 cleanliness of the milkers and their wearing apparel 

 is quite important. The milker should be scrupulously 

 clean, and should wear clean clothing, preferably cot- 

 ton suits that will readily show any accumulation of 

 dirt. Each milker should be provided with a clean 

 suit as often as every day. After the dust is removed 

 from the stable by spraying, or by the other means 

 described above, before the milking commences, the 

 cows should be thoroughly washed 011 those parts 

 that are likely to come in contact with the milker, 

 such as the sides, thighs, udder, tail, etc. These parts 

 should be washed in at least two waters, to the first 

 of which should be added some odorless disinfectant. 

 After the last washing, the parts should be wiped with 

 a damp cloth so there is no danger of dripping. Then 

 the cows are ready to be milked. Practically without 

 exception, the milkers in a certified barn use some 

 kind of covered pail. There are several kinds of 

 covered pails with various -sized openings on the mar- 

 ket, from which choice may be made. They are, how- 

 ever, pretty well agreed that milking through a strainer 

 is not to be commended. It undoubtedly is a most 

 excellent practice to strain the milk of each cow sepa- 

 rately. This gives the dairyman an opportunity to 

 reject the milk from any cow that does not seem to be 

 quite normal. Occasionally an individual produces a 

 little slightly stringy milk that would not be detected 

 by the milker, but can be rejected at straining time 

 if the milk from each cow is strained separately. 



