DAIRY INSPECTION 167 
The brushing should be finished a half hour before milk- 
ing, to allow time for the dust to settle from the air of 
the stable, but the udder should be wiped just before 
milking is begun. If the udder is brushed immediately 
before milking the number of bacteria in the milk will 
be about doubled. The practice indulged in by some 
milkers of attempting to clean the udder by wiping it 
with the hand after sitting down to milk is not a good 
one, as it dislodges a lot of loose hair, epithelial cells and 
particles of dirt which may fall into the milk pail. The 
purpose in wiping the udder with a damp cloth is to 
moisten any loose dirt, hair, etc., that may remain after 
brushing and thus prevent these particles from falling 
into the milk. 
The number of bacteria dislodged from apparently 
clean udders by the process of milking is reduced about 
two-thirds by dampening the surface of the udder. Too 
much water should not be used, as any excess will run 
off the end of the teat and may drop into the milk pail, 
while, in winter, the exposure of a wet udder to cold air 
is very likely to cause congestion and cracking of the 
skin, especially at the base of the teats and on the teats, 
and may also cause catarrhal mastitis. Washing the 
udder, unless it is afterward rubbed dry, is not as effective 
in keeping dirt and bacteria out of milk as is wiping it 
with a damp cloth after dry brushing. The best results 
are obtained by wiping the udder with a cloth dampened 
with a 2 per cent. solution of washing soda after it has 
been cleaned by brushing, and then anointing it with a 
small quantity of vaseline. As much vaseline as can be 
taken up on the end of the finger is rubbed over the 
palms of the hands, which are then passed lightly over 
the udder. This method takes less time than washing 
