74 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



worse, and also 24 samples testing better, than the figure given. 

 This figure, it is thought, fairly represents the character of the 

 milk. At the bottom of the table are given the bacteria counts 

 of the milk as received in New York City during those months, 

 which figures are obtained in the same manner. 



To pay farmeis on the basis of bacteria in milk makes neces- 

 sary the location of a laboratory within easy reach of each farm. 

 The daily analysis of the milk in the laboratory for bacteria 

 is a most potent influence. The record is carefully watched by 

 each farmer because it means financial profit or loss. Therefore, 

 we must put down the bacteriological laboratory as being a 

 factor of utmost importance in insuring the practice of sanitary 

 methods. The dairy farmers recognize that any neglect on their 

 part is immediately reflected in the laboratory test. As one 

 of the men expressed it, "the laboratory can watch the milk far 

 better than the inspector can." I wish to say that it is my 

 opinion that the bacteria test for milk far outweighs in impor- 

 tance the value of dairy inspection in that it sets a watch on the 

 milk which can only be matched by the constant presence of an 

 inspector in the cow stable at every milking. 



At Homer there is some dairy inspection. The superintendent 

 of the plant visits the farms about once a week. After the 

 laboratory tests had been in operation for several months, and 

 he had made a number of inspections, the superintendent re- 

 ported to me that the appearance of the buildings and cow 

 stables and the equipment of the farms bears no relation what- 

 ever to the laboratory tests. That is to say, some of the worst 

 appearing places habitually produced milk containing the fewest 

 numbers of bacteria. 



The scoring of the dairy farms by the score-card system has 

 confirmed this state of affairs, in that the farms scoring the 

 lowest are often at the top of the list so far as absence of bac- 

 teria is concerned. One does not have to look far to explain 

 how this is possible. The score cards in use contain no space 

 for the dairy farmer himself. There is no one factor in milk 

 production nearly equal in importance to the dairy farmer him- 

 self. If it were possible to make a score card of the personal 

 character of the dairy farmers at Homer, their intelligence and 

 their carefulness, the superintendent assures me that the men 



