146 



THE STORY OF MILK 



box. In most ice boxes the temperature is allowed to 

 rise higher than is generally supposed, and it is better 

 to keep the milk bottle next to the ice than in the food 

 compartments. 



Milk and cream easily absorb flavors from the air 

 and should not be kept in open vessels next to other 



food. Any house- 

 keeper knows how 

 quickly milk or cream 

 will be tainted by 

 standing in the same 

 compartment with 

 onions or musk- 

 melons; if the bottle 

 is not covered, milk 

 may also be contami- 

 nated by other less 

 noticeable but more 

 harmful vapors from 

 nearby products. Let 

 the milkman furnish 

 you with some extra 

 milk bottle caps, or cover your milk bottle with an in- 

 verted tumbler. 



As has been shown in previous chapters, milk is a 

 favorable soil for all sorts of germs and bacteria to grow 

 in. It must therefore be kept from contamination 

 with the utmost care, and everything that comes in 

 contact with it must be scrupulously clean. 



Top-Milk. — When the milk has been standing at 

 rest three or four hours, the top-milk will be consider- 

 ably richer than the rest. If such rich milk is wanted 

 for any particular purpose it may be poured off, to be 



A clean ice-box 



