116 THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTKICT OF COLUMBIA. 



IX. CARE OF MILK IN THE HOME. 



PRECAUTIONS RECOMMENDED. 



Too much attention can not be given to the proper treatment of 

 milk in the home, which subject is handled most capably in a bulletin 

 issued by the Department of Agriculture as late as August 30, 1910, 1 

 in which it is set forth that the contamination of milk in the home 

 results generally from (1) placing it in unclean vessels, (2) expos- 

 ing it unnecessarily to the air, (3) failing to keep it cool up to the 

 time of use, and (4) exposing it to flies. Among the items of care 

 which should be scrupulously exercised by the housekeeper to pre- 

 vent contamination of the milk, the following are particularized : 



Milk from the grocer or baker, kept by the dealer in a can open 

 much of the time and possibly without refrigeration, is dangerous 

 and should be avoided. Never buy bulk milk from a grocery store. 

 Never buy milk for the baby from a grocery store. Store milk has 

 often been kept over from the day before. Such milk is dangerous 

 as a food for babies. 



If it is impossible to get bottled milk, do not set out over night an 

 uncovered vessel to collect thousands of bacteria from the street dust 

 before milk is put into it, but have the milk delivered personally to 

 some member of the family if possible. If this be impracticable, set 

 put a bowl covered with a plate, or, better still, use a glass preserving 

 jar into which nothing but milk is put, which jar should have a glaSvS 

 top with the rubber band omitted. A pitcher can not be tightly cov- 

 ered on account of the projecting spout. 



Milk tickets or written instructions intended for the dairyman are 

 likely to become more or less soiled, and if used should not be placed 

 in the bowl or jar. 



The milk should never be exposed to the sun for any length of 

 time. It frequently happens that milk delivered as early as 4 

 o'clock in the morning remains outdoors until 9 or 10 o'clock. Al- 

 though this practice is to be condemned, if it be inconvenient to re- 

 ceive the milk soon after its delivery, the housekeeper should indicate 

 to the driver a sheltered place or provide a covered box in which the 

 milk pail or bottle may be left. It is important that the milk 

 should be taken into the house as soon as possible after delivery, par- 

 ticularly in hot weather. 



The milk should, upon receipt, be placed in the refrigerator at 

 once and allowed to remain there when not using from it, constant 

 endeavor being exercised to keep the milk at all times, except when 

 actually on the table, at a temperature not exceeding 50 F., for the 

 reason that harmful bacteria increase with astonishing rapidity once 

 milk rises above this temperature. Unless the milk bottle is kept 

 in actual contact with the ice, it will be colder at the bottom of the 

 refrigerator than in the ice compartment, since the cold air settles 

 rapidly. 



Milk should be kept in the original bottle until needed for imme- 

 diate consumption ; do not pour it into a bowl or pitcher for keeping ; 



i " The Care of Milk and Its Use in the Home," by George M. Whitaker, L. A. Rogers, 

 and Caroline L. Hunt, Farmers' Bulletin No. 413. 



