376 



MICROBIOLOGY OF MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS 



count is desired in the milk, it may sometimes be advisable to elimi- 

 nate such cows from the herd. 



Gare or THE Cow's Body. — In order to reduce to the minimum the 

 contamination from the cow's body, she should be kept as clean as 

 possible. Dust should not be allowed to accumulate in her coat. 

 It is well to keep the hair of the flank and udder clipped in order to 

 prevent the accumulation of dust and also to facilitate the process of 

 cleaning. The use of a damp cloth Jpr wiping the flank and udder 

 at milking time is a very efficient means of reducing this soiirce of 

 contamination. The beneficial effect of this method may be seen 

 in the following table :,;_ 



Effect of Wiping Udder and Flank with a Damp Cloth as Shown by Bacterial 

 .^' Counts 6f Milk 



Number of experiments 



Date ' 



I 



3 

 4 



Even when considerable care is taken to clean the surface of the 

 cow's body, there will stiU be some organisms which may fall into the 

 pail at milking time. This number can be very materially lessened 

 by reducing as far as possible the area through which dust can fall into 

 the milk pail. This can be accomplished by the use of a milking 

 pail with a small top. 



Value of Small Top Pail in Reducing Germ Content of Milk 



