158 MANUAL OF MILK PRODUCTS 



fore there should be no unnecessary ledges or rough surfaces 

 inside the building, so that it can be quickly and thoroughly 

 cleaned. Milk-house floors should be of concrete and pitched 

 to drain through bell traps. Round edges at the walls will 

 prevent the collection of dust and dirt. The walls and ceilings 

 may be made of matched boards, but cement plaster on painted 

 metal lathing is better. Ventilators are necessary to keep the 

 air in the milk room fresh and free from musty and other 

 undesirable odors, and to carry off steam from the wash room. 

 Windows are of prime importance, as they let in fresh air and 

 sunlight, and facilitate work. In summer the doors and win- 

 dows should be screened to keep out flies and other insects. 



It is imperative that there be a plentiful supply of cold, run- 

 ning water at the dairy house. If it is not possible to have a 

 gravity system, the supply may be piped from an elevated tank 

 fed by a hydraulic ram, engine, windmill, or hand pump. The 

 dairyman can ill afford to spend his time in carrying water in a 

 pail to cool his milk and wash his utensils. Provision must also 

 be made for supplying an abundance of hot water to clean and 

 wash utensils. The water supply should be clean and abun- 

 dant as well as convenient ; otherwise the cleaning will not be 

 thorough. Impure water is a source of contamination that 

 under no circumstances should be allowed on a dairy farm. 

 Outbreaks of typhoid fever in cities have been traced to dairy 

 farms where the wash water was impure. Water which comes 

 from shallow wells receiving surface drainage, or seepage from 

 barnyard or house wastes or from pastures, is impure and 

 should not be used. 

 Utensils. 



All utensils which come in contact with milk should be made 

 of durable, smooth, nonabsorbent material. Wooden utensils 

 are hard to sterilize and therefore are not used in the best- 

 equipped dairies. Badly battered or rusty ware is objection- 

 able, as it is hard to clean, and contact with iron may injure 



