240 MILK HYGIENE 



recommended wherever possible that an unopened bottle 

 be taken, placed in a suitably iced case and brought at 

 once to the laboratory. 



Samples of "market milk" may be collected as are 

 water samples, in sterile, wide-mouthed, glass-stoppered 

 four-ounce bottles; the case in which they are carried 

 being well iced. The principal difficulty encountered in 

 this method is in transferring the sample from the 

 original container to the bottle, and the various string 

 and wire devices by means of which the bottle is 

 immersed in the original container are objectionable 

 both on account of the labor of preparing such an out- 

 fit and also on account of the coating of milk left on 

 the outside of the bottle when the sample has been 

 taken. 



An apparatus designed for the use of thirty-two test 

 tubes as containers is recommended as superior to 

 one designed for bottles. 



It has been proven that with samples kept properly 

 iced in this particular form of case there is no increase 

 of bacterial content even for twenty-four hours, but 

 rather a slight decrease, the counts varying hardly more 

 than might be expected in duplicate plates. It is recom- 

 mended, however, that examination of the samples be 

 proceeded with as quickly as possible after the collec- 

 tions are made. 



Identification of samples. When bottles are used 

 identification numbers should be etched on both bottle 

 and stopper. Test tubes should be labeled or etched 

 and numbered. 



A complete record of the samples taken, giving date, 

 time, place, name of party from which sample is taken, 

 name of collector, temperature of milk, character of 

 original container (tank, can, bottle), etc., should be 

 written opposite duplicate numbers in a blank book 

 or pocket card-catalogue, or this information may be 

 written on small tags and tied or wired to the corre- 

 sponding test tube or bottle. 



Temperature. The temperature should be taken 

 immediately after taking the sample for analysis, while 

 the milk is still thoroughly mixed. 



