DEVELOPMENT OF CITY MILK SUPPLY PROBLEMS 45 
too low, he changed the conditions of production as profound- 
ly as financial conditions seemed to warrant. ** 
The decline in popularity of the score card as the basis for 
farm inspection may be ascribed to two general factors. The 
first was connected with the matter of germ life in milk. 
The period during which interest in the germ content of milk 
practically overshadowed other phases of milk quality in the 
minds of health officials was practically coincident with the 
period of interest in dairy score cards. At the time the score 
cards were formulated there was little available information 
as to just how bacteria most commonly found their way into 
milk. This question soon thereafter received careful study 
and unfortunately for the score cards these studies showed 
that the avenues through which the great bulk of the germ 
life enters the milk*+ had been given slight emphasis on the 
score cards. The correctness of this conclusion was shown 
by a separate line of inquiry through which it was demon- 
strated that there was no observable relation between the germ 
life present in the milk of dairies and the score of these dairies 
on any of the score cards in general use.** It is entirely con- 
ecivable that in the light of added knowledge regarding the 
sources of bacteria in milk, new and better score cards might 
be formulated. 
A second set of facts has militated even more strongly 
against farm inspection. Mention has been made of the large 
appropriation with which New York City initiated its farm 
inspection. However, it soon became evident that with this 
appropriation it would not be possible to inspect all the 
farms furnishing milk to that city more than once per year. 
A survey of the general situation showed that only under ex- 
ceptional conditions could funds be made available to provide 
“H. A, Harding and J. D. Brew, The Financial Stimulus in City Milk 
Production, Bul. 363, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1913. 
44M. J. Prucha, H. M. Weeter and W. H. Chambers, Germ Content of 
Milk. II. As Influenced by the Utensils, Bul. 204, I]. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1918. 
J.D. Brew, Milk Quality as Determined by Present Dairy Score Cards, 
Bul. 398, N. Y. Agr. Exp. Sta., 1915. 
