252 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



scalded and aired there is an opportunity for impurities to 

 be left in the seams of the. tin where joints occur. In this 

 residue there is a fine opportunity for bacteria to increase 

 and multiply in large quantities, and then spread the con- 

 tamination through the milk itself. The word cleanliness, 

 when carried to its extreme import, nowadays, means sterili- 

 zation, — freedom from bacteria. Wooden pails should 

 never be used for milking, as it is almost impossible to keep 

 them clean. Tin utensils should be used. In cleaning them 

 the milk remaining should be rinsed out with lukewarm 

 water. Then boiling hot water or steam should be applied, 

 as these are among the strongest foes to bacteria. Live 

 steam is best but not always practical)le. After scalding, 

 exposure to bright sunlight is advisable and ought to l)e 

 given. It is common to see inverted cans standing by 

 farmers' doors, sunning the outside of the cans. If the loca- 

 tion is one where the air is pure the cans should be set so 

 that the direct rays of the hot sun may get into them. 



Finally, having done all that is possible in way of care and 

 cleanliness, you have not kept all the bacteria out of the 

 milk. The ravages of the few remaining ones must be re- 

 duced as much as possible. This is done by chilling the 

 milk at the earliest possible moment. Bacteria increase most 

 rapidly in warm milk. One experimenter found that at 93° 

 the bacteria in milk multipled 3,600 times in six hours. At 

 55° they multiplied only 435 times. Don't let the milk 

 stand a moment longer than is necessary without chilling it. 

 Delay is dangerous and may l)e costly. This cooling of milk 

 is beneficial in removing the last traces of animal odor, but 

 it is urged more particularly for checking the growth of 

 bacteria. If the temperature is lowered sufficiently, the 

 development of bacteria will be checked — almost stopped. 

 By lowering the temperature to 45° satisfactory results may 

 be obtained, but it is safest to cool it to 40° if possible. 

 Every person supplying a city market with milk should have 

 ice, or else cool spring water, and take precautions in this 

 respect. All authorities impress the importance of straining 

 the milk outside the stable and cooling it as quickly as pos- 

 sible. Don't let it stand until the cows are turned out; they 

 can wait better than the milk. 



