THE CARE OF MILK 



389 



289. The Care of Milk. When milk comes from a 

 healthy cow, it is ordinarily perfectly pure; but there is 

 no other food that is so easily rendered unfit for use by 

 carelessness or neglect. Moldy hay, decayed roots, or 

 garlic, fed to cows, will give their taint to the milk. The 



A CLEAN Cow. 



dairy herd should be free from any contagious diseases, 

 and should have only wholesome food. 



But milk also becomes impure from carelessness and 

 ignorance in handling and shipping. We have learned in 

 the chapter on soils that there are countless millions of 

 bacteria living in and above the soil. They also abound 

 in the atmosphere of stables, houses, and creameries. 

 Milk, exposed for a brief time in open vessels, will soon 

 be contaminated by them. Finding this food to their 

 liking, especially if it be warm, they grow and multiply 

 at an enormous rate. These bacteria produce sourness, 

 objectionable flavors, or sliminess. 



