34 



MICROBIOLOGY OF MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS. 



Effect of Wiping Udder and Flank with a Damp Cloth as Shown by Bacterial Counts of 



Milk. 



Number of experiments 



Date 



Treatment Bacteria per c.c. 



2,780 



53 



i,3 10 



3io 



800 



754 



I , I 3 



590 



Even when considerable care is taken to clean the surface of the 

 cow's body, there will still be some organisms which may fall into the pail 

 at milking time. This number can be very materially lessened by re- 

 ducing as far as possible the area through which dust can fall into the 

 milk pail. This can be accomplished by the use of a milking pail with a 

 small top. 



Value of Small Top Pail in Reducing Germ Content of Milk. 



AVOID DUST IN THE ATMOSPHERE. Many of the necessary operations 

 of the cow stable stir up large quantities of dust and fill the air with 

 microorganisms. It is astonishing to see how many bacteria can adhere 

 to a small piece of hay or may be found in a gram of any of our common 

 dairy feeds. When these materials are fed dry just previous to milking 



