No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONEES' REPORT. 585 



attention in the care of milk. It is not enough to scald milk 

 cans and wipe them out with a wet cloth, as the cloth will 

 reinfect the cans, and destroy an^' good that might have re- 

 sulted from previous cleansing. 



To understand this matter thoroughly, it is necessary to 

 recollect that the science of bacteriology has made wonderful 

 strides of recent years. The study of these minute organ- 

 isms is an important one. They are everywhere around us, 

 and play an unrecognized though important part in every-day 

 life. 



The souring and curdling of milk is due to the develop- 

 ment of bacteria which find their way into milk, either during 

 or after milking ; not only that, but the pleasant flavor and 

 delicate aroma of good butter and cheese is due to the de- 

 velopment of certain varieties of these organisms. On the 

 other hand, other varieties, the bacillus CoU commums, for 

 example, which is present in large numbers in the fecal mat- 

 ter, will spoil both butter and cheese ; and it is probably this 

 same CoU bacillus that is mainly responsible for the large 

 proportion of cases of milk diarrhoea in infants, which occur- 

 so frequently during the summer months. 



There are many ways by which various kinds of bacteria 

 get into milk. A dairyman has only to look in the strainer, 

 after milking, to find hair, dirt, scurf, scabs from sores and 

 fecal matter in every pail, and all these are swarming with 

 bacteria. Then, again, the milker's hands are rarely washed 

 before milking ; his clothes are dirt}' ; greasy and soiled 

 overalls are worn while he is at work ; milk cans and milking 

 utensils are frequently washed with water far from clean ; 

 even if scalded, they are often rinsed with water from a 

 polluted well. 



Then, after being shipped to Boston, the method of test- 

 ing milk is very unreliable. In cold weather bacteria in the 

 milk do not develop, and the milk tastes sweet ; but, if 

 the temperature is raised the bacteria will develop rapidly. 

 In this way, milk when first brought in may appear sweet, 

 but after it is mixed and the tem})erature raised, the bacteria 

 will develop, and the entire quantity will be contaminated. 

 This is a matter that ought to be taken up by the producer 

 himself, and it might well be attended to by the New Eng- 



