486 THE CONTROL OF THE MILK SUPPLY 



regulations depends the prosperity of his business and the favour 

 of his customers. 



In order to ensure the strict application of the regulations, the 

 Company has the farms regularly visited by veterinary surgeons 

 paid by it, and whom it holds responsible. These, to the number 

 of seven, have to inspect the farms of the district assigned to them 

 every fortnight, and report to the Company on the entire manage- 

 ment of the farms. 



Production of milk. — It is under this permanent control of 

 the general hygiene and feeding of the cows that the production of 

 milk is carried on. As can be seen by glancing at the form to be 

 filled in by the veterinary surgeon, the farmer can undertake to 

 supply the Company with the milk of a certain number only of 

 his cows, and reserve that of the others for himself or other 

 customers. The cows certified as healthy are milked morning and 

 evening by persons who, according to the regulations, wear a 

 special costume and are provided with a towel so that they may 

 wash and dry their hands whenever necessary. The milking is 

 carried out with the greatest care and cleanliness, in daylight or 

 with sufficient light to enable the milker to see clearly what he is 

 doing. 



The Company particularly insists on the necessity of keeping 

 in special byres cows unfit to produce milk under the desired 

 conditions, that is to say, the cows which have lately calved, and 

 those which the veterinary has declared diseased, or which are 

 suspected of disease, in order to avoid the two sorts of milk being 

 mixed. The Company refuses to receive the milk of cows within a 

 fortnight of calving, as well as that of cows which do not give more 

 than 6 litres of milk, and they have to be informed of the use made 

 by the farmer of the proceeds of the milking not delivered to them. 



The milk, collected in buckets, is, immediately after milking, 

 passed through a sieve covered with a clean woollen cloth into a 

 refrigerating apparatus (Lawrence cooler), which lowers the tempera- 

 ture to +4'' R. (41° F.). The farmer can either buy this apparatus, 

 or hire it from the Company ; whatever the season, he has to keep 

 the milk in the apparatus at the above temperature until the 

 moment of dispatch, so that he must always have a reserve of at 

 east 30 lbs. of ice to every 100 litres of milk. 



The case of superintending the production of the milk in all its 

 details is confided to women inspectors, who have to report to the 

 Company at least twice a year on the state of cleanliness and 

 hygiene of each farm. In their unexpected visits they have to see 



