318 THE MILK SITUATION IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. 



THE STABLE. 



Keep dairy cattle In a room or building by themselves. It is preferable to 

 have no cellar below and no storage loft above. 



Stables should be well ventilated, lighted, and drained; should have tight 

 floors and walls, and be plainly constructed. 



Never use musty or dirty litter. 



Allow no strong smelling material in the stable for any length of time. Store 

 the manure under cover outside the cow stable and remove it to a distance as 

 often as practicable. 



Whitewash the stable once or twice a year; use land plaster in the manure 

 gutters daily. 



Use no dry, dusty feed just previous to milking ; if fodder is dusty, sprinkle it 

 before it is fed. 



Clean and thoroughly air the stable before milking. 



Keep the stable and dairy room in good condition. 



THE cows. 



Have the herd examined at least twice a year by a skilled veterinarian. 



Promptly remove from the herd any animal suspected of being in bad health, 

 and reject her milk. Never add an animal to the herd until certain it is free 

 from disease, especially tuberculosis. 



Do not move cows faster than a comfortable walk while on the way to place 

 of milking or feeding. 



Never allow the cows to be excited by hard driving, abuse, loud talking, or 

 unnecessary disturbance ; do not expose them to cold or storms. 



Do not change the feed suddenly. 



Feed liberally, and use only fresh, palatable food ; in no case should decom- 

 posed or moldy material be used. 



Provide water in abundance, easy of access, and always pure ; fresh, but not 

 too cold. 



Salt should always be accessible. 



Do not allow any strong flavored food, like garlic, cabbage, and turnips, to be 

 eaten, except immediately after milking. 



Clean the entire body of the cow daily. If hair in the region of the udder is 

 not easily kept clean it should be clipped. 



Do not use the milk within 20 days before calving, nor for 3 to 5 days after- 

 wards. 



MILKING. 



The milker should be clean in all respect ; he should wash and dry his hands 

 just before milking. 



The milker should wear a clean outer garment, used only when milking, and 

 kept in a clean place at other times. ~,' 



Brush the udder and surrounding parts just before milking, and wipe them 

 with a clean, damp cloth or sponge, then wash the hands thoroughly. 



Milk quietly, quickly, cleanly, and thoroughly. Cows do not like unnecessary 

 noise or delay. Commence milking at exactly the same hour every morning 

 and evening, and milk the cows in the same order. 



Throw away (but not on the floor better in the gutter) the first few streams 

 from each teat ; this milk is very watery and of little value, but it may injure 

 the rest, as it is high in bacteria. 



If in any milking a part of the milk is bloody or stringy, or unnatural in 

 appearance, the whole mess should be rejected. 



Milk with dry hands; never allow the hands to come in contact with the 

 milk. A little vaseline may be used on the hands. 



If any accident occurs by which a pail full or partly full of milk becomes 

 dirty, do not try to remedy this by straining, but reject all this milk and rinse 

 the pail. 



CARE OF MILK. 



Remove the milk of every cow at once from the stable to a clean, dry room, 

 where the air is pure and sweet. Do not allow cans to remain in stables while 

 they are being filled. 



Strain the milk through a metal gauze and a flannel c>oth or layer of cotton 

 a? soon as it is drawn. 



