170 THE MILK QUESTION 



essential details. On the other hand, we are all familiar 

 with dairies, which, even though scoring high, nevertheless 

 produce a poorer quality of milk. It is impossible to score 

 intelligence, enthusiasm, and conscientiousness qual- 

 ities which play such an important role in the production 

 of clean and safe milk. 



Methods are much more important than equipment. This 

 is one of the things that the score card does not take into suffi- 

 cient account. Clean milk may be produced with clean meth- 

 ods and poor equipment, but good milk cannot be produced 

 with a good equipment and poor methods. 



In order to secure an efficient system of records and to 

 facilitate the comparison of results, a number of score cards 

 have been devised. The one most commonly used has 

 been worked out by the Department of Agriculture, a copy 

 of which is shown on page 176. This score card covers two 

 features: equipment and methods. Under equipment is 

 considered the health of cows, provisions for their com- 

 fort, food and its quality, the construction of stables, 

 bottling-rooms, sterilizers, and other utensils. Forty 

 points are allowed in the rating for perfect equipment. 

 Under methods are comprised cleanliness of the cows, 

 of the stables, ventilation of building, condition of the 

 utensils, of the milkers, of the milk room, and meth- 

 ods of handling the milk and its prompt and effi- 

 cient cooling. For perfect methods, sixty points are al- 

 lowed. 



The government score card alsojias on its reverse side 

 a place for recording the number of cows, the number of 

 gallons of milk produced daily, and the market to which 

 the milk is sent, and finally a place for recording the qual- 

 ity of milk produced. 



Michigan has devised a somewhat different score card 

 comprising five features, allowing one hundred points for 

 each. They cover: (1) the health of the herd and its produc- 

 tion; (2) cleanliness; (3) construction and care of utensils; 



