MILK AND CREAM CONTESTS. 



certified milk or cream are usually prohibited from entering any 

 samples in the market classes. 



MANAGEMENT OP THE SAMPLES. 



There are no restrictions placed on the dairymen as to the produc- 

 tion of the samples for the contest. The answers to questions on 

 the entry blank show that many methods of milking are pursued. 

 On some farms the cows are milked in the bam; at other places they 

 are milked in the pasture or feed lot. Various methods of cleaning 

 the cows are resorted to, and the milk is handled in a varied number 

 of ways after it is drawn from the cow. 



All the samples of milk that are entered in a contest must be 

 produced on the same day. This makes all the samples the same 

 age when they are scored. After the milk is bottled, it is packed in 

 a shipping case and surrounded with ice so that it will be in the best 

 possible condition when it arrives at the place of exhibition. Mixing 

 salt with the ice may cause the samples to freeze. 



The samples should be consigned to some cold-storage warehouse 

 in the city where the exhibit is to be held, and upon their arrival 

 put immediately into a cold room. In each entry should be four 

 bottles, one for chemical analysis, one for bacteriological examina- 

 tion, one for judging flavor, odor, sediment, and appearance, and 

 one to be placed on exhibition. When all these samples have 

 arrived, the four bottles in each entry should be given a number, 

 preferably on a tag put around the neck of each bottle. The bottles, 

 bearing simply the number, are submitted to the judges, and the 

 scores are all made by numbers instead of by the names of the dairies 

 or of the owners. 



It will be noticed on page 15 that some contests are tabulated 

 separately. These contests were held under somewhat different 

 regulations. Instead of allowing the dairyman to submit a sample 

 of milk produced in any way, the samples, at irregular intervals 

 through one entire month or more, were taken from the regular 

 supply, as it was delivered. It was believed by those in charge of 

 these contests that such a procedure would give a more definite idea 

 of the average milk furnished by the dairymen and would also have 

 the advantage of continuing a supply of high-grade milk from all the 

 dairies entered. 



Two objections to this method have been raised by some authori- 

 ties. First, the taking of samples, through an extended period and 

 at times unknown to the dairyman, is the legitimate duty of any 

 health department; therefore a contest conducted in this way is very 

 liable to confuse the dairymen as to the distinction between health- 

 department work and milk exhibits. The second objection is the 

 more potent one. Under the usual procedure the dairyman knows 



