28 A Nen Dairy Industry. 



the duct. Investigation has proven that the first 

 milk drawn contains about fifty to eighty thousand 

 bacteria to a tenth of a cubic inch, while the next 

 following or, we ma)' say, the bulk of the milking 

 contains about five thousand to the same quantity, 

 and only the last quarts drawn are nearly or entirely 

 free from germs. An immigration of germs by way 

 of the teats -cannot be doubted and is the cause, not in- 

 frequently, of some forms of inflammation of the udder. 

 As we have seen, milk is already polluted at its 

 exit from the soiled udder, and again by the dropping 

 in of dirt from the external part of the udder, and 

 when we consider that dung is nothing more or less 

 than the undigested residue of the fodder eaten, filled 

 with unutterable numbers of bacteria and spores, we 

 ■are then able to draw a conclusion as to the direct 

 connection existing between the germs found in milk 

 and those that must be contained in the food. And, 

 in fact, such a connection can be traced all along in 

 the milk and more so in the products therefrom, par- 

 ticularly when a change of feed occurs or when fodder 

 is fed which is filled with acid or fermenting organ- 

 isms, such as wet brewers' and distillers' grains, spoilt 

 ensilage, must)- hay, mouldy grain, etc. Practical 

 ■dairymen know perfectly well what evil effect spoilt - 

 or badly kept fodder of every kind has on the quality 

 of the milk and its products. The bedding also on 

 which cows lie or stand has an influence on the bac- 

 teriological contents of the milk ; it will in a great 

 measure depend on the soundness and freshness of the 



