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all refuse and rubbish. It should then be thoroughly whitewashed. 

 This not only removes many microbes and introduces a weak anti- 

 septic but it renders the stable lighter and more cheerful. Any work 

 in the barn which stirs up a dust just before milking will greatly add 

 to the number of the bacteria in the air and therefore in the milk. 

 Chores which contaminate the air should be deferred till after 

 milking. Frequent sweeping of the barn is a good idea, but it had 

 better be omitted if it can be done at no other time than immedi- 

 ately before milking. Manure ought to be removed from the 

 stable promptly, as the longer it remains in the warm stable the 

 more the bacteria in it multiply, but wait until after milking before 

 you do this work. Many barns are made so that it is impossible 

 to avoid pitching hay from the mows or high beams in the room 

 where the cattle are kept. This is favorable to stirring up a dust 

 and therefore it ought not to be done just before milking. Feed- 

 ing coarse fodder directly before milking, stirring up masses of 

 dust, is not to be commended. Sprinkling stable floors before 

 milking will materially lessen the germs in the milk. The free 

 admission of outside air into the barn is also an important consid- 

 eration. By care it is possible to decrease considerably the infec- 

 tion of milk through the ordinary dust of the stable. 



The Cows. — When the cow's flanks are covered with filth, either 

 manure or the mud of some pasture pool, the amount of bacteria 

 that will fall into the milk is enormous. Consequently the skin 

 of the cows should be kept as clean as possible. The importance 

 of carefully carding, brushing and cleaning the cows is evident. 

 To get the best results the udder and the teats, together with the 

 adjoining parts of the body and thighs, should be wiped with a 

 damp cloth immediately before milking. These precautions will 

 reduce to the lowest terms the bacteria which will get into the milk 

 pail from the cow. 



The Milker. — The milker himself must practise personal tidi- 

 ness, and the leading authorities, where the best results are to be 

 obtained, both preach and practise the importance of strict clean- 

 liness and even the wearing of neat clothes while milking. The 

 milker's hands should be carefully washed. 



Removing from Stable and Straining. — As we have said above, 

 no matter how carefully the precautions against micro-organisms 

 are observed there will be bacteria in the air. The milk is there- 

 fore threatened so long as it is in the stable, and it is also liable 

 to absorb odors as well as bacteria. Milk should therefore be re- 

 moved from the stable at the earliest possible moment. Straining 

 the milk in the stable or leaving it there in the cans until the whole 

 herd has been milked are procedures harmful to its quality. A 



