BLOODY OR RED MILK 67 



were in an apparently normal condition. At first it was thought 

 that some conditions in the pasture caused this abnormal milk. 

 The cows were taken into the barn, and fed on dry food for 

 two weeks, but without any change in the quality of the milk. 

 Gradually they dried up. 



The secretion of this salty milk was believed to be due to the 

 long time during which the cows had been yielding milk without 

 any rest. They had been given no rest previous to the last 

 calving. It is also believed that this quality of milk will occur 

 more frequently when the cows are near the close of the lactation 

 period. 



While the above two causes are perhaps the most common, 

 they are not the only ones. Salty milk has been obtained in 

 cases where these reasons could not be ascribed. Boggild has 

 found that salty milk has been secreted by cows with abnormal 

 udders. He has also demonstrated that it was the diseased part 

 of the udder from which the salty milk was yielded. The healthy 

 portion of the udder yielded normal milk. It is possible that 

 an obscure, diseased condition of the udder may be the entire 

 cause. 



Salty milk is of course undesirable in the dairy or creamery. 

 It is very disagreeable to the taste, and in a fermented stage 

 becomes very foul. 



Bloody or Red Milk. Bloody, or red milk is caused, first, 

 by an abnormal condition of the cow's udder, which may or may 

 not be apparent; and second, a red color may be developed in 

 milk after standing, through the action of bacteria. 



The bloody milk, caused by an inflamed udder, often assumes 

 a reddish-yellow appearance, and may, if not examined care- 

 fully, be mistaken for colostrum. Bloody milk produced by an 

 inflamed udder may be distinguished by small blood particles, 

 which will settle to the bottom, and can be noticed if the sample 

 is placed in a glass test-tube. In bloody milk caused by bacterial 

 growth the blood does not show at the bottom, but instead, 

 previous to stirring the milk or cream, it appears on the surface 

 in small red dots. The red color which commonly occurs in milk 

 is due chiefly to a species of germ called Micrococcus prodigiosus. 



