110 MUNICIPAL SANITARY CONTROL OF MILK. 



and that it shall not exceed this temperature before delivery. 

 The requirement is desirable, and does not necessitate compli- 

 cated methods of examination. This regulation very properly 

 necessitates the use of ice at the producing farm, and the use 

 of refrigerator .cars where the milk is transported long dis- 

 tances. Its strict enforcement tends to eliminate the sale of 

 milk from stores where adequate refrigerating facilities are not 

 provided . 



In a large area of the country, the Southern States and 

 California, the universal enforcement of such a standard is 

 out of the question because of the absence of natural ice. In 

 large dairies, artificial refrigeration may be used, but the smaller 

 producers could not afford the expense. 



Numerical determinations of bacteria in milk. Bacterial counts 

 may be made to yield valuable information when conditions 

 that will permit the comparison of results are maintained. The 

 first requisite is the practice of uniformity in technic. Under 

 such conditions, the examination of the milk from time to 

 time from samples of the same age will reveal significant devi- 

 ations from the usual. Then an unusually high count w r ill 

 indicate the effect of the combination in some proportion of 

 the factors of uncleanliness, age and poor cooling. 



Numerical determinations of bacteria are an index of the 

 care exercised in the handling of milk. A sufficient number 

 of determinations give results that permit the classification of 

 dairies in a general sort of way. Systematic counting of bac- 

 teria in a city milk supply encourages better methods. Rela- 

 tively high counts Occurring uniformly are unmistakable evi- 

 dence of bad management. 



Nice distinctions among dairies supplying a city cannot be 

 made on the .basis of a variation of a few million bacteria per 

 cc. in the milk. The instrument of measurement is too deli- 

 cate in such cases and the distinctions revealed too fine. 



Effective work calls for faithful attention to details of technic 

 and for numerous determinations. Tests made at rare inter- 

 vals from samples of normally bad milk, varying considerably 

 in age, represent the low r est degree of usefulness of the work. 

 The sensational publication of such results does not materially 



