24 DAIRYING 



ly cold. The cans of milk must be loosely covered and kept in a 

 perfectly clean place protected from dirt and bad odors. In 

 winter the milk should not be allowed to freeze and in summer it 

 must be kept sweet without the use of any kind of preservative. 

 In some states there are strict laws against the use of preserva- 

 tives in milk. 



706. Delivering the Milk. During transportation the cans 

 of milk must be filled to prevent churning and must be closed 

 with tightly fitting covers and jackets or a canvas placed over 

 them as a protection from dust, mud, or rain. These coverings 

 will aid in keeping the milk cool in extremely hot weather and 

 in winter they may prevent the milk from freezing. 



Milk ought to be below sixty degrees Fahrenheit when de- 

 livered to a factory or to any other buyer, and the nearer fifty 

 degrees, the better for the milk, as this indicates that it has been 

 thoroughly cooled at the farm. 



707. The Purity of Milk is entirely within the control of the 

 milker. If the cows are healthy there is no excuse for dirty, 

 tainted or sour milk. The defects most commonly met with in 

 milk may be avoided by following the directions here given. 



708. Health of the Cows. Milk from a cow having any 

 kind of disease should not be used for human food. Sore teats, 

 a caked udder, or anything that causes bloody milk must be 

 cured before the milk is usable. Milk from healthy cows ought 

 not to be used until six days after calving ; some authorities also 

 refuse to accept milk- for thirty days before calving or when a 

 cow gives less than six pounds per day. 



709. Injurious Food. Decayed or musty grain or feed is 

 unfit food for milch cows as it has an injurious effect on the 

 product made from it as in fact on the cow herself. Musty hay 

 and decayed silage are as bad as musty grain; certain kinds of 

 roots, rape, etc., should only be fed in such a way as to leave the 

 milk free from taint or odor, which can be done by feeding these 

 foods directly after milk; wet brewers' grains must be fed with 

 caution ; on account of the strong odor from this by-product and 

 similar feeds, the milk will be contaminated unless removed at 

 once from the stables after milking. 



