DAIRY INSPECTION 167 



The brushing should be finished a half hour before milk- 

 ing, to allow time for the dust to settle from the air of 

 the stable, but the udder should be wiped just before 

 milking is begun. If the udder is brushed immediately 

 before milking the number of bacteria in the milk will 

 be about doubled. The practice indulged in by some 

 milkers of attempting to clean the udder by wiping it 

 with the hand after sitting down to milk is not a good 

 one, as it dislodges a lot of loose hair, epithelial cells and 

 particles of dirt which may fall into the milk pail. The 

 purpose in wiping the udder with a damp cloth is to 

 moisten any loose dirt, hair, etc., that may remain after 

 brushing and thus prevent these particles from falling 

 into the milk. 



The number of bacteria dislodged from apparently 

 clean udders by the process of milking is reduced about 

 two-thirds by dampening the surface of the udder. Too 

 much water should not be used, as any excess will run 

 off the end of the teat and may drop into the milk pail, 

 while, in winter, the exposure of a wet udder to cold air 

 is very likely to cause congestion and cracking of the 

 skin, especially at the base of the teats and on the teats, 

 and may also cause catarrhal mastitis. Washing the 

 udder, unless it is afterward rubbed dry, is not as effective 

 in keeping dirt and bacteria out of milk as is wiping it 

 with a damp cloth after dry brushing. The best results 

 are obtained by wiping the udder with a cloth dampened 

 with a 2 per cent, solution of washing soda after it has 

 been cleaned by brushing, and then anointing it with a 

 small quantity of vaseline. As much vaseline as can be 

 taken up on the end of the finger is rubbed over the 

 palms of the hands, which are then passed lightly over 

 the udder. This method takes less time than washing 



